India, Japan navy ships send a message to China with drill in Indian Ocean

India and Japan sent a not-so-subtle message to China with the warships of the two nations conducting a drill in the Indian Ocean – amid growing belligerence of the communist country.

Two warships of Indian Navy – INS Rana and INS Kulish – conducted an exercise with JS Kashima and JS Shimayuki of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) in the Indian Ocean on Saturday. The drill came amid China’s military assertiveness – not only along its disputed boundary with India, but also in South China Sea and East China Sea.

The two JMSDF ships, a few days earlier, participated in a drill with the USS Gabrielle Giffords of the United States Navy in South China Sea, raising hackles in Beijing.

The JMSDF confirmed on Twitter that its JS Kashima and JS Shimayuki participated in two back-to-back drills with the warships of the US Navy and Indian Navy and “promoted mutual understanding” with the both.

India and Japan stepped up maritime security cooperation over the past few years, with bilateral and multilateral exercises with the United States. The three nations joined Australia in November 2017 to re-launch the Quad – a four-nation initiative, primarily intended to build a bulwark against China’s hegemonic aspirations in Indo-Pacific.

India and Japan in October 2018 agreed on implementing arrangement for deeper cooperation between the navies of the two nations. They are also likely to sign a military logistics sharing agreement soon.

Even as the more-than-seven-week-long stand-off between Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continued along the disputed India-China boundary in eastern Ladakh, New Delhi is keeping its eyes on Indian Ocean, where the communist country’s navy has been spreading its tentacles over the past few years.

The Chinese PLA navy deployed its 35th Task Force in Indian Ocean region in late April – just a few days before its soldiers made the first attempt to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – the de facto boundary between India and China – in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. The PLA Navy also deployed its missile destroyer Taiyan and frigate Jingzhou in Indian Ocean.

New Delhi has of late been also worried over reports of China deploying a fleet of underwater drones (Unmanned Underwater Vehicles) in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Navy in September 2019 spotted and chased away China’s research vessel Shiyan 1 in the Exclusive Economic Zone of India near the Andaman and Nicobar islands. The Chinese PLA also deployed submarines in Indian Ocean, including Shang class Type 093 nuclear powered ones. Though Beijing publicly said that the deployment was intended to step up patrolling on the sea lanes to protect vessels from pirates, New Delhi has been suspicious about the PLA Navy’s moves in the Indian Ocean region.

The first face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Galwan Valley early last month was resolved, but it was soon followed by stand-offs in multiple locations along the LAC, including on the northern bank of the Pangong Tso lake. Amid talks between diplomats and senior military officials to resolve the situation, the stand-off reached a flashpoint on June 15, when the Indian and Chinese soldiers had a violent clash in Galwan Valley, resulting in casualties on both sides.

Japan’s Defence Minister Taro Kono on Thursday accused China of trying to change the status quo unilaterally in East and South China Seas as well as along its disputed boundary with India.