Strong Signal To China In Inviting Australia For Malabar Naval Exercises
Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
View all posts by this Author
By Slogger
First publised on 2020-10-21 15:14:36
About the Author
Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
View all posts by this Author
After 13 years, India has invited Australia to join the Malabar naval exercises this year. This is an important signal to China, and to the world community, that the country will no longer try to pander to individual nations and their sensitivities but will look at the wider picture and Indiaâs own security interests in taking such decisions. This decision will also give a much needed push to the Quad.
Australia was not invited in these naval exercises since 2007 as China had vehemently protested the regional grouping and the CPI(M) had forced the then UPA government to scale down the exercises. It was a decision that perhaps emboldened China as is visible from its recent misadventures in the Himalayan sector. With the US, Japan and Australia joining these exercises this year, the Quad will really look to keep the Indo-Pacific region peaceful.
China has displayed a renewed viogur in its expansionist policies. It has started eyeing territories of many neighbours. India finds a special place in the Chinese scheme of things and the push to enter and occupy India territory is not new. With the decision to invite Australia in the naval exercises, India has sent a strong signal to China that from now on, India will keep its interests secured and will not be deterred by Chinese objections.
This is as it should be. The Chinese cannot be allowed to either dictate what India can do or not do or object to what India does. They have for long followed the policy of turning India's friendly neighbours against it by offering them many inducements. It is India's time to hit back now, especially after the standoff in the Himalayas. As the Chinese side is not interested in acknowledging India's position regarding the border, India cannot be cowed down by Chinese objections. It must act independently with only its own interests in mind.
