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Relations between Beijing and several of its neighbors have deteriorated dramatically in recent months due to disputes over territory and trade. In 2017, the Quad security alliance, made up of the United States, India, Japan and Australia, was reformed.
On Monday, India invited Australia to its upcoming Malabar naval exercises, which will also feature forces from the United States and Japan.
Previously, India, which historically has not been aligned, rejected Australia’s participation for fear of offending Beijing.
However, relations between New Delhi and China have dramatically worsened this year with a series of armed clashes along their disputed border.
The annual Malabar naval exercise began in 1992 between the United States and India, and Japan became a permanent participant in 2015.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), John Blaxland, a professor at the Australian National University Center for Defense and Strategic Studies, said it was clear that the expanded Malabar exercise is targeting China.
He said: “There is a common factor here, and it is not difficult to discern what it is, that is driving these countries that otherwise would not be looking to work more closely to suddenly overcome their reluctance, their uncertainty and their malaise. to make this arrangement work.
“China has largely taken credit for this.
“Their ‘wolf warriors’ diplomacy, their unwillingness to negotiate in the South China Sea, their assertiveness across the Indian Ocean, and their assertiveness in the South Pacific have generated considerable unrest and undermined popular views in China.” .
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James Goldrick, who served as a rear admiral in the Royal Australian Navy, also argued that the latest move is aimed at restraining Beijing.
Speaking to the SCMP, he commented: “The reality is that the fate of relations like the Quad and other forms of regional association will directly depend on the trajectory of China’s behavior.
“If China continues on its current path, I think [regional powers] it will seek ways to work together to present united fronts on issues where they share vital interests and when those interests appear to be threatened.
In June, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in clashes with their Chinese counterparts across the two countries in border dispute with the Himalayas.
As firearms are prohibited near the border, the two sides fought with iron bars, sticks wrapped in barbed wire, and stones.
Many of the fatalities in India drowned or died from exposure after being injured.
There were reportedly Chinese casualties as well, although Beijing has not confirmed an exact number.
After the violence, India banned several Chinese mobile apps from operating on its territory, including TikTok.
China is also in dispute with several of its neighbors for control of the South China Sea.
Beijing has been building military bases on islands on the fiercely disputed waterway.
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