Japan and India hold maritime dialogue

A maritime dialogue was held in New Delhi on Jan. 29 between DB Venkatesh Varma, who heads the division of disarmament and international security of India's Ministry of External Affairs, and Kazuyuki Yamazaki, deputy director of the policy bureau of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports the Times of India.

With India and Japan facing a shared "China Threat" in the South and East China seas, respectively, the dialogue was held to coordinate the strategies of the two countries in the region. This dialogue was announced last April during the Sixth Strategic Dialogue between SM Krishnal, India's former foreign minister, and his Japanese counterpart Koichiro Genba, who has likewise since been replaced.

Although India originally planned to hold such a dialogue with China first, it eventually chose to make initial consultations with Japan. This is a clear sign of the Indian government's security priorities, the Times of India noted.

India and Japan held a joint naval exercise in June last year off the coast of Japan near Sagami Bay. The talks on Tuesday were reportedly aimed at discussing further naval exercise between the two nations.

On the same day, China's Party chief Xi Jinping made a speech at a Political Bureau study group session to define the country's core interests. Xi said China will never compromise its territorial integrity by bargaining with any foreign powers, a clear indication that Beijing will not back down on Diaoyu Islands, at the center of China-Japan disputes.

India has also worked closely with Japan in operations such as anti-piracy and maritime rescue in the Indian Ocean.