China says it has “taken note” of Australia joining annual Malabar naval drills

BEIJING: China on Tuesday said it has “taken note” of India’s announcement that Australia will join the annual Malabar naval exercises along with the US and Japan, underlining that military cooperation should be “conducive” to regional peace and stability. India on Monday announced that Australia will join the upcoming Malabar exercise which effectively means that all the four-member countries of the ‘Quad’ or Quadrilateral coalition will be participating in the mega drill. The US and Japan are the other countries that participate in the annual exercise, which is likely to take place next month in the Bay of Bengal and…