India-Japan naval exercises: a message for China?
- Moves come after 20 Indian soldiers were killed fighting Chinese troops in the Himalayas and amid Beijing’s dispute with Tokyo over the Diaoyu Islands
- China’s assertiveness in the South and East China Seas has acted as a spur to bring together India and Japan, analysts say
Joint exercises by the Indian and Japanese navies in the Indian Ocean at the weekend suggest the two countries are drawing closer to face what they perceive as a common threat from China, analysts say.
While joint military exercises involving the two countries are not uncommon, the latest activity comes amid tensions both are experiencing with Beijing.
New Delhi and Beijing have blamed the deaths in the Himalayas on each other. The Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong said Indian troops were responsible for the clash because they had “crossed the Line of Actual Control” which acts as the de facto border. In response, the Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri warned of “ripples and repercussions” in diplomatic ties because China was “trying to alter the status quo on the ground by force”.
Meanwhile Tokyo and Beijing have traded barbs over the islands. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has called Japan’s move a “serious provocation on China’s territorial sovereignty”, while Japanese Defence Minister Taro Kano responded that Tokyo would be monitoring Beijing’s “intentions, not only its capability”.
HEATING UP