India To Invite Australia For Naval Drill, Risking China Ire

India plans to invite Australia to join the annual Malabar naval exercise that has so far included just Japan and the U.S., in a move that could risk China’s ire.

The decision to include Australia in the drills — the first time all members of the regional grouping known as the Quad will be engaged at a military level — comes as Beijing and New Delhi are caught up in their worst border tensions in four decades. The exercise will bring together the navies of India, Japan, Australia and the U.S.

in the Bay of Bengal at the end of the year, according to senior Indian officials who asked not to be identified, citing rules.