As the Malabar 2017 Naval Exercise, with three major naval powers i.e. US, India and Japan, kicked off in the Bay of Bengal, China has shown concern towards the war games citing insecurity on the presence of major navies near ‘its waters’. Indian Navy officials, on the other hand, have debunked this claim saying it has nothing to do with the Sikkim stand-off. rIndian and Chinese forces have come really close to pulling the trigger this time as both nations are claiming regions in the Himalayas of Sikkim. India has moved a good number of troops in the area as China cries foul asking its neighbour to clear out military presence even as Communist soldiers try to walk into Indian territory. rBut is India and the US trying to send a message to China not to meddle in matters and make it look serious? The naval war games between India and the West have been going on since 1992, almost annually. It has been highlighted this time because the exercise coincided with the tense standoff in the Himalayas. Quite simply the boats in the Bay of Bengal are not meant to show strength and readiness to China, its only the timing that has turned inauspicious. But China should look in its own backyard, where it’s planting flags on islands not belonging to them and a sea that is absolutely not their property.
