The Indian Navy is all set to host it’s biennial training exercise, Milan, with twenty-three nations taking part in it. The Milan naval exercise by the Indian navy will begin in March. Is exercise Milan by Indian Navy a warning signal for increasing the India-China tensions? Has the Indian Navy alarmed China with Milan?
Chinese experts believe that the India-China tensions are spreading to sea from land and the exercise Milan by the Indian Navy calls for an immediate military response from China. As reported by PTI, Milan is being hosted at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and will continue for 8 days, starting 6th of March.
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Indian Navy Welcomes 16 or 23 Nations for Exercise Milan?
The Indian Naval Forces is hosting naval forces from sixteen nations including Australia, Kenya, Cambodia, Singapore, New Zealand, Oman and more. The fact that China has been working towards strengthening its position in the Indo-Pacific region is looming over Milan. The official website for Milan states that 23 nations will be participating, however the Indian media has only officially stated 16 countries.
As reported by Global Times, a Chinese researcher on International Issues said that Milan, an initiative by the Indian Navy, is being organised at a large scale and challenging china, thus fuelling the India-China tensions. The researcher further stated that the India-China tensions have now extended to sea and not limited to land anymore.
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The 10th Indian Navy Led exercise
A Biennial Naval Exercise has been led by India 9 times, starting in 1995. Milan, by Indian Navy, is more than just a military exercise as it also focuses on promoting healthy interactions between nations and harbour missions based on humanitarian grounds.
However, this year the Naval chiefs of participating nations are likely to discuss China’s military initiatives in the South China Sea.
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