Central News Agency) The maritime forces of India, the United States, Australia and Japan conducted the second phase of the Malabar maritime joint exercise in the North Arabian Sea on the 17th. China is increasingly assertive in the Indo-Pacific region, and the exercise is seen as part of a regional countermeasure against China. The Indian Ministry of Defense noted that Malabar 2020 "underscores the greater convergence of views on maritime issues among the four active democracies". The United States, Japan, India and Australia formed an informal group called the Quad, which is the second time the four countries have photo background removing participated in a joint military exercise of this scale. The first phase of the Malabar exercise has been held in the Bay of Bengal from November 3 to 6. The second phase is a mission operation centered on the INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier strike group and the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group, the Indian Ministry of Defense said. The Australian naval frigate HMAS Ballarat, the Japanese frigate JS Murasame, a number of submarines and aircraft also participated in the exercise. India and China have been locked in a multi-month military standoff along a disputed border in the Himalayas. Analysts pointed out that India hopes the military exercise will act as a deterrent to Beijing. Exercise Malabar started in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between India and the US Navy. Japan joined in 2015. This year is the first time the Australian Navy has participated in the exercise since 2007. AP_20322397648109 Photo Credit: AP / Dazhi Image The Liberty Times reported that the first phase of the Malabar exercise was held in the Bay of Bengal from November 3 to 6, and the second phase will be launched in the North Arabian Sea from November 17. The highlight is the Indian aircraft carrier "Chao Sun King" (INS Vikramaditya) and the USS Nimitz (USS Nimitz) formation exercise, Japan and Australia also dispatched warships, the four navies in the same frame are quite shocking.