Malabar Exercise, Germany’s proposed presence in Indo-Pacific rile China

If the ongoing Malabar exercise wasn't enough to give China enough jitters, Germany's announcement of having a naval presence in the Indo-Pacific from next year is driving Beijing crazy. Quad members India, United States, Japan and Australia began the first phase of joint exercises off the coast of Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal yesterday, majorly to counter the growing Chinese military and political influence in the Indian Ocean Region. With Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the German Defence Minister, making clear her country's plans for the Indo-Pacific region—which "had become crucial to the world's well-being"—2021 promises to be a challenging year for the Xi Jinping-led Chinese Communist Party government.

"We believe that Germany needs to mark its position in the region… I am convinced territorial disputes, violations of international law and China's ambitions for global supremacy can only be approached multilaterally," said Kramp-Karrenbauer in an interview to <em>The Sydney Morning Herald</em>.

Berlin's detailed plan to check China's influence and "safeguard the rules-based international order" includes embarkation of German officers on Australian Navy units and deployment of a German frigate to patrol the Indian Ocean. Kramp-Karrenbauer also told the Australian <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/germany-refuses-to-turn-a-blind-eye-to-china-teams-up-with-australia-20201102-p56apf.html">daily</a> that Europe had become increasingly aware of China's economic agenda and geopolitical tactics in the last year.

Already in deep pain caused by the ongoing Malabar exercise and Australia's participation in it this year, the Chinese weren't expecting the firing of this unexpected salvo, especially when Beijing remains Germany's No.1 trading partner. The world is changing fast and the increasing military activity in the Indian Ocean by the navies of several nations is certainly not just to serve the 'hegemonic ambitions' of the United States alone—as the Jinping regime projects Quad to be.

<img class="wp-image-20078 size-large" src="https://indianarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Malabar-Quad-Exercise-2020-1024×683.jpg" alt="Malabar Quad Exercise 2020" width="1024" height="683" /> Indian Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh reviews operational readiness at sea

"It's doubtful whether checking China's rise by Quad members with their joint exercises in the waters can be realized. However, the risks are increasing that the Indo-Pacific region will become a geopolitical hotspot. Even Germany wants to get involved in the Indo-Pacific region. Germany is anticipated to join the Australian Navy and patrol the Indian Ocean. Media reports say Berlin wants to manage China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region. When a region has gotten too many external powers involved, the region is bound to face geopolitical rivalry and see more uncertainties," commented <em>Global Times</em>, the mouthpiece of the Chinese government.

China also wants the world to believe that in spite of Germany leading from the front to form a unified China policy within the European Union, the member states remain divided on several issues.

"Completely confronting China is not in the interests of Germany or the EU… Within the EU, Germany has been committed to forming a unified China policy, trying to add greater pressure on China and strive for more negotiation conditions with the strength of 27 EU member states. But this could be hard as well. EU members have huge disputes on many issues. Some countries are tough on China and some are friendly. It is difficult to reach a consensus, but Germany has hoped to work in this direction," Sun Keqin, a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, wrote in the same paper.

However, when even Warsaw and Bucharest are taking China head-on right now, the dragon's latest propaganda may inflict self-harm more than anything else, as has been the case most of 2020.

"The emerging European consensus on China also stems from a growing range of political concerns. Member states recognize that China is increasingly adept at dominating bilateral relationships with them, and ever brasher in its violations of human rights and international commitments in places such as Xinjiang and Hong Kong. They acknowledge that this partly reflects the failure of European efforts to stand up to Beijing politically—and that only a coherent EU policy framework and coordinated action could halt or reverse these trends," Janka Oertel, the director of the Asia programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in a policy brief a couple of months ago.

Notwithstanding the result of the US Presidential elections, it would serve the EU well to finalize the future trajectory of its relationship with China soon. Germany has shown the way. Will others follow suit and rein in China?.