China justifies its military exercise with Pakistan

China's doublespeak has once again been exposed. It has  justified its ongoing joint air exercise "Shaheen-IX" with Pakistan, even though it had expressed apprehensions about India’s "Malabar exercise" last month. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin defended "Shaheen-IX" exercise with Pakistan air force as a routine arrangement, which experts believe is reflective of a larger strategic posture towards India. 

In response to the question he said, the ongoing exercise was not targeting any third country.The Air Forces of China and Pakistan are holding their annual exercise "Shaheen-IX" since 9th December in Pakistan’s southern



Sindh province near Indian border.

India recently hosted the Malabar 2020 naval exercise with the U.S., Japan and Australia. Commenting on the Malabar exercise, Chinese Foreign Ministry had said it hoped that the relevant countries' military exercise could be conducive to regional peace and stability, instead of working in the opposite way. 

A Chinese state media had termed the Malabar naval drill as an ill-intentioned attempt to corner China. India had categorically stated that the orientation of Malabar exercise had been towards a free, open, inclusive Indo-Pacific as well as a rule-based international order.