The Malabar exercise by all members of the "Quartet" group shows China's efforts to create a united front to deal with China's maritime ambitions.

India announced on October 20 that the Australian Navy will join forces from the United States, Japan and India for the first time since 2007 in the Malabar exercise, which is scheduled to begin in November.

Since 2017, five "The Four" forums have been resumed after a decade hiatus, Malabar drills are conducted annually, but only with the participation of the three navies of the United States, Japan and India.

Australia's decision to participate in the Malabar exercise for the first time with the remaining three members of the Quartet was considered by experts to be a strategic message to China, in the context of Beijing's relations with the other members.

"There is an unrecognizable factor that is driving countries that previously did not want to cooperate more closely, overcome reluctance, uncertainty and discomfort to increase efforts to promote efficiency.

India, which has a long tradition of implementing non-aligned foreign policies, has in the past refused to join Australia's Malabar, out of fear that this would affect relations with neighboring China.

Invitations to the Malabar maneuvers sent by India to Australia as Indo-China relations have plunged over the past year after scuffle broke out on the disputed Himalayan border.

The US and Japan have lobbied for India to accept Australia's Malabar drill.

Blaxland argues that the Quartet's strengthening military cooperation is an inevitable consequence of China's increasingly aggressive strategy.

Former Australian Navy Rear Admiral James Goldrick agrees with Blaxland's statement, saying that the development of relationships such as the Quartet or forms of regional partnerships "will depend directly on how

"If China continues its current path, I think the nations in the region will seek to work together to form a united front on issues they share materially in common, when

India's Defense Ministry yesterday released a statement stating that the country "is looking to strengthen cooperation with other countries in the field of maritime security".

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne confirmed the country participated in Malabar 2020 maneuvers at India's invitation.

The Australian Foreign Minister said the Malabar exercise demonstrated "deep trust" between the four members of the Quartet and their "shared will to realize common security interests".

Although China is not mentioned in the Malabar maneuvers, both India and Australia have recently reviewed relations with China in many areas.

Relations between Australia and China became strained after Canberra proposed an international investigation into Covid-19, as well as its response to the Hong Kong situation.

Former Indian naval colonel Lalit Kapur described Australia's participation in the Malabar exercise as "a positive move for Australia, India and the region".

Kapur said the Quartet must do more "if they want to deter China from expanding its territorial claims".

"Annual drills such as Malabar lay the foundations for integrated, synchronized action that helps to deliver effective deterrent messages. However, an annual exercise is not enough to gauge the readiness of

Former Australian Rear admiral Goldrick said the scaling up of the Malabar maneuvers was an important, but mostly symbolic, sign of cooperation between "China defending states" rather than "essential benefits.

"The interactions between the Quartet countries will undoubtedly be the result of the exercises, but a series of bilateral and multilateral activities, including the India-Australia naval exercises, have contributed to this.

China has not yet commented on Australia's participation in the Malabar exercise, but Foreign Minister Wang Yi in 2018 once said that "The Four" is just a concept of "sensational news" and will disappear "as