China and India signed a landmark memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation less than a year ago.  The Indian Navy and its Chinese counterpart will conduct a series of naval exercises, which started on April 12th. The exercises will take place over five days at the port of Qingdao, the headquarters of the Chinese Navy's North Sea Fleet.

The joint manoeuvres with China come at a time when a part of the military establishment in India has voiced unease over Beijing's proactive Indian Ocean policy, which it views as one aimed at encircling India. Pakistan's deep-sea port at Gwadar has been designed and built by the Chinese, and China will enjoy the facilities there.

Beijing has also proposed the construction of a similar port in Myanmar to join a new railroad from Kunming in southern China to the Myanmar coast. In addition, an agreement has been finalised between Sri Lanka, under which China will participate in the development of a port project at Hambantota. At the Pentagon, U.S. naval officials call this planned series of Chinese naval bases "the string of pearls."

The trilateral exercises between the Indian, U.S. and Japanese navies take on an added significance in this scenario, with analysts arguing that these marked the beginning of a new alliance aimed at containing Chinese influence. The Indian Government has sought to play down such speculation, and holds that the naval exercises were not aimed against any particular country. The diverse range of countries included in the ongoing joint exercises is pointed to as proof.

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