Australia seeks deeper defence ties with India, pitches for quadrilateral naval exercise

NEW DELHI: Australia has expressed its inclination towards participating in quadrilateral military exercises in the region on the lines of the Malabar war game in 2007 that evoked a sharp response from China.

Visiting Australian defence minister Kevin Andrews made this clear on Wednesday even as he invited India to two major military engagements, one each with the army and the air force. Andrews, who has met his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar besides the top leadership including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also expressed Australian concerns over the large scale reclamation and construction activity by Beijing in the South China Sea.

“Australia strongly opposes the use of intimidation, aggression or coercion to advance any country’s claims or to unilaterally alter the status quo. We are concerned about the possible militarisation of features in the South China Sea,” he said during an address at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

While the minister talked about increasing bilateral military ties, referring to the upcoming Indo-Australian naval exercise later this month, in response to a query on Malabar-type multilateral exercise, he said, “If quadrilateral opportunities arise, we would be having an inclination to be part of those exercises”.

It may be recalled that the 2007 Malabar war game by the US, India, Japan and Australia, besides Singapore, had evoked a massive reaction from Beijing that issued demarche to all participants, demanding to know if the exercise was aimed against it.

In his address, Andrews described India as a key partner for security in the region. “Australia recognises India’s role in supporting the security, stability and prosperity of the Indian Ocean region and the stability of a rules-based global order…and there is scope for us to cooperate further on global issues,” he said.