Malabar Drill: China ‘miffed’ at Japan’s inclusion

Reacting sharply to India’s move of including Japan in the Indo-US Malabar naval exercises, China on Monday said it is hopeful Tokyo will not “provoke confrontation” and “heighten tensions” in the region.

“Our position is very clear. It is hoped that the relevant country will not provoke confrontation and heighten tensions in the region,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a media briefing while replying to a question on Japan’s inclusion in the Malabar drills. During Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to India last week, it was announced that Japan will be a partner in Malabar Naval Exercises, taking it from a bilateral naval exercise between India and the US to a trilateral level on a permanent basis.

In his briefing, Mr Hong reacted mildly to references to the disputed South China Sea in the talks between Mr Abe and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the agreement between the two countries to further civil nuclear cooperation.

“China respects freedom of navigation enjoyed by the all countries in the SCS according to the international law,” he said. He, however, defended China’s construction of artificial islands with military facilities.

“Construction undertaken by China in the reefs and islands of the SCS is within China sovereignty. There is no impact on freedom of navigation and over flight,” he said reacting to SCS references in the joint statement issued after Modi-Abe talks.

“We hope that countries outside the region will respect efforts being made by the countries in the region to maintain security and stability of the SCS rather than the other way around,” he said.

Territorial disputes in the South China Sea involve both island and maritime claims among several states within the region like China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

On the India-Japan civil nuclear deal, Mr Hong said, “with regard to nuclear cooperation between India and Japan we always believed that on the premise of respecting nuclear non-proliferation. All countries have the right to make peaceful use of nuclear energy and carry out relevant co-operation.”

“The relevant corporation should help maintain the authority and effectiveness and international nuclear non-proliferation regime,” he said. As the US, Japan and European Union try to admit India into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group, which will provide India with greater access to nuclear commerce, China has been hinting in recent months that it will push for Pakistan’s admission into the NSG.

China is part of the 48-member NSG group. NSG chairman Rafael Grossi visited India this month and held talks with top Indian leaders about the country’s admission as part of efforts to build consensus. Participation of Japan in the Malabar naval exercises has riled China in the past as well.

China issued a demarche and sought details when Japan, along with Australia, took part in the Malabar exercises in 2007 along with the US amid accusation in the official media here that it was an emerging front against Beijing.

But since then China tuned down its reaction in the backdrop of steady improvement of relations between India and China, specially military to military ties.

Japan’s participation in this year’s Malabar drills in the Indian Ocean drew mild reactions.

Japan for the first time has been made a regular member in the exercises during the just concluded visit of Mr Abe, during which two countries forged close relations in defence and strategic ties much to the chagrin of Beijing.