Nine nation naval exercise in the India-Pacific amidst Chinese shadow

The eight-day La Perouse 25 naval exercise with nine nations, including India, France and the USA is being held in Malacca, Sunda and Lombok straits between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean

New Delhi: Amidst expanding Chinese presence in the Indo-Pacific, nine nations including India, France and the USA on Thursday began a major naval exercise in three critical sea lanes of communications that have emerged as the mainstay of global trade.

The eight-day La Perouse 25 naval exercise involving French Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier is being held in Malacca, Sunda and Lombok straits between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, the French Embassy said here in a statement.

These straits, mainstays of global maritime trade and of strategic significance, are subject to numerous human-induced risks such as maritime accidents and environmental hazards, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and natural risks like earthquakes and tsunamis.

Others participating in the drill are Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, UK and Singapore.

This is so far the biggest version of the La Perouse naval exercise – named after a great 18th century explorer. The previous version in 2023 involved seven nations and the one in 2021 had France and four Quad countries. This time, the Indian Navy will participate with destroyer INS Mumbai.

Strengthening maritime safety will be at the core of this exercise, with the development of interoperability and the ability to act collectively in the event of a maritime crisis, which will contribute to it.

“During this exercise that will continue till January 24, all navies will train in the use of IORIS, a communication and coordination system dedicated to the exchange of information, documents in order to effectively and collectively face a maritime crisis in a synchronized manner,” said the Embassy statement.

China depends heavily on the Malacca Strait for its energy and commerce with the latest Pentagon report claiming approximately 63% of the communist country’s oil imports and 41% of its total natural gas imports passes through this sea lane. Lombok and Sunda Straits are deep water alternatives to Malacca.

The Pentagon report says Beijing will most likely continue to rely on oil and natural gas imports from Africa and the Middle East to meet energy demands for at least the next 10 years.

The nine-nation drill will enable work on a broad spectrum of maritime security operations. The various forces distributed in the area will train to search for and then intervene on ships suspected of illicit activities; with suspect vessels being played by vessels of the force.

France, a resident power of the Indo-Pacific, works for a free, open and stable Indo-Pacific through its prepositioned forces in the area, it adds.