The Chinese Navy successfully tested a submarine-launched strategic missile in the Pacific Ocean, which has drawn attempts by many countries and media to exaggerate the significance of this event.
According to an Australian Daily Telegraph report dated July 9th, Australian Prime Minister Albornes welcomed Indian Prime Minister Modi to Melbourne on Thursday.
On local streets, groups of protesters gathered in opposition to Modi's visit to Australia. They waved flags of Sikh separatists.
According to reports, the talks between the two mainly focused on defense and security issues, and it is likely that China’s recent actions in the Pacific Ocean will be discussed.
Australia, India, Japan, and the United States are members of the "Quad Security Dialogue". former U.S. President Biden placed great importance on this alliance. However, his successor Trump did not do so.
According to sources in Australia, the defense relations between Australia and India have always been “natural developments”. However, in the past two years, both sides have significantly accelerated their efforts. Part of the purpose is to prove to the Trump administration that the Quad mechanism can truly be effective.
Meanwhile, diplomatic sources in India and Japan hope that substantial military cooperation will be enough to attract Trump to attend the Quad leaders' summit.
According to reports, the Indian government has been cautious in its stance regarding this move by China. However, since New Delhi has important economic interests in East Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region, it cannot remain indifferent.
Australian Strategic Policy Research Institute's expert on China issues, Nathan Attrill, said that the launch 'is not only a way to demonstrate capabilities, but also to test how the Indo-Pacific countries will respond to China's increasingly strong military projection capabilities.'
He said, “Beijing is sending a signal that, in the event of a crisis across the Taiwan Strait in the future, China has the ability to deploy its military forces beyond the Taiwan Strait to exert strategic pressure on the entire region.”
The report further fueled the debate, pushing India forward, claiming that as a nuclear-powered country, India has the capabilities to compete with China both militarily and economically.
India and China have long borders, and both countries can easily access the Strait of Malacca. The report specifically points out that about 80% of China's oil transportation passes through this strategic passage.
The Chinese side emphasized that this missile test was a routine part of China's annual military training. Information was previously communicated to the relevant countries, and it complies with international law and international practice. It is not targeted at any specific country or objective.
