India should stay clear of US-Japan game

The militaries of India and the United States are scheduled to hold the "Yudh Abhyas" (War Training) joint exercise in the US from Sept 14 to 27. The joint drill, an annual feature since 2004 that focuses on anti-terrorism maneuvers, will be held just two months after the US, Japan and India held the Malabar Naval Exercise-2017 in the Bay of Bengal. Also, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit India from Sept 13 to 15.

India's close interactions with the US and Japan have sent mixed signals to the outside world just after it experienced a bump in its relations with China. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, from Sept 3 to 5 after a two-monthlong standoff between Chinese and Indian troops in China's Donglang area.

China has showed its sincerity in maintaining good relations with India. The two large developing countries and important players in Asia are critical to fair global governance. So India should learn from the standoff, and help China to build sound bilateral ties.