India, US, Japan kickstart naval wargames in Pacific

New Delhi: In the first trilateral naval exercises involving India, the United States and Japan in the tenure of the Modi Government, the Malabar naval exercises will begin in the Western Pacific Ocean near Japan, sources said on Wednesday.

The Indian Navy has sent three warships and naval helicopters to participate in the exercise which will end on July 30.

But it remains to be seen how China reacts to the exercises. China has a maritime dispute with Japan and fears that the United States and Japan could try to rope in other Asian countries to contain Beijing. India and Japan had decided in January this year that the later would be part of the 2014 edition of the Malabar naval exercises.