Ausindex naval exercise a statement of rising India-Australia cooperation
The week-long joint naval exercise between India and Australia that has just begun off the coast of western Australia, must be seen as an effort on the part of both countries to boost defence diplomacy. Such collaborations go a long way in enhancing cooperation between the two countries and lead to a higher level of strategic partnership. The importance of such exercises was in fact felt a long time ago. Besides having held a number of military drills over the years, this is the second such naval military exercise between the two countries. The first Australia-India Exercise was held in the Bay of Bengal in 2015. Most importantly, what brought both countries together was the growing influence of China, which has been staking territorial claims in the South China Sea and also showning interest in the Indian Ocean region. China's growing military might in the seas have also become a cause of worry for other countries such as the Philippines, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and also the US, which are united fronts to challenge the Chinese hegemony. For India, the Middle Kingdom's increasing strategic footprint by way of increasing military exercises and investments in maritime infrastructural projects in the Indian Ocean region is a cause of concern. There have also been reports about the presence of Chinese submarines. last year itself, a PlA-Navy submarine that was docked in Colombo, had sent ripples across the country. Australia has similar concerns around the Indian Ocean region.
What is more critical is the Chinese dominance in the South China Sea, which is an important commercial gateway for a significant portion of the world's merchant shipping. It is also an important economic and strategic sub-region of the Indo-Pacific. The integration of waters has, therefore, become the new normal and compelled countries to come together to discuss matters of security; to maintain stability as prescribed in the United Nations Convention on the law of the Sea. India has always been on firm grounds here on matter of navigation and has support from Australia and other countries.
The Chinese belligerence has, in fact, forced countries around the world to come together and conduct various military exercises at their levels. The India-US-Japan Malabar military naval exercise is one such initiative to keep a check on the militarisation of sea lanes. This exercise has also a symbolic value in demonstrating India's commitment to free navigation in international waters under the UU convention — something which China has refused to accept. But even bilaterally speaking, such exercises will further strengthen relations between New Delhi and Canberra. However, the next level in relationship can happen only when various obstacles to an enhanced free trade between the two countries are removed. Given the excellent relations both the countries share, this problem too should be sorted out sooner than later.