India hosts key naval exercise with eye on China

NEW DELHI AFP Nov3, 2020 -  
India, Australia, Japan and the United States started a strategic navy drill Tuesday in the Bay of Bengal, with all four countries keeping a wary eye on China’s growing military power.   

The exercises --with anti-submarine and anti-aircraft drills-- went ahead as India is embroiled in a deadly border showdown with China and has sought closer military ties with other countries. 

 
The four nations make up the so-called Quad group (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue), established in 2007 to counter growing 
Chinese influence.   

Australia --which also has problematic relations with China-- is taking part in the Malabar exercises for the first time in more than a decade, a sign of the growing importance of the group. The United States sent the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain, which re-entered service this year, three years after a collision in which 10 sailors were killed.