QUAD kicks off MALABAR naval exercise on the east coast of Australia

India, Japan, the United States and Australia kick off the 10-day MALABAR naval exercise on the east coast of Australia; Sydney, instead of the west coast. Traditionally, the exercise has been held in the Indian Ocean. The ongoing engagements aim to send a strong message to China, which has been flexing its muscles in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the South China Sea. The QUAD navies exercise also aims at enforcing the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region to tame an aggressive Chinese Navy.