India needs to become accustomed to China carrying out military exercises, said a Chinese military expert, after Indian media accused China of sending India "warning signals" through recent navy and army drills.
China's holding a military drill in this area is in compliance with international law, military analysts said.
Troops from the People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s Tibet Military Command conducted a 13-hour drill at an elevation of 4,600 meters in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Saturday.
The training was targeted at specific issues revealed in a high-altitude drill conducted in July, aiming to enhance combat capability, the CCTV report said. The July drills reportedly included rapid troop deployment and different military units working together on joint missions.
Meanwhile, a Chinese naval formation consisting of the destroyer Changchun, guided-missile frigate Jingzhou and supply vessel Chaohu conducted a live-fire drill in the western Indian Ocean, military sources were quoted by the Xinhua News Agency as saying on Friday.
It said that the fleet carried out strikes against "enemy" surface ships and completed transverse replenishment of fuel and drinking water during a drill that lasted several days.
The drill is aimed at improving the ships' performance under real combat circumstances, said Chen Denan, chief of staff of the Chinese fleet.
Some Indian media outlets took China's military exercises as the "warning signal to India," said News World India. The Hindustan Times said that "the Indian Ocean drill is the first naval drill to be publicized by China in this period and could be interpreted as another strong message to India - aggressive military posturing in a region where the Indian navy is influential."
The fleet is shouldered with the responsibility of enhancing friendship, understanding and mutual trust with other countries, and holding a military drill in waters where conditions are suitable is also its responsibility, an anonymous military expert told the Global Times on Sunday.
"Why doesn't India get nervous when some Western countries hold frequent military exercises in this area? And why can't the Chinese navy appear in the huge Indian Ocean?" said the military expert.
He noted that India should get used to the fact that China would be holding military exercises in its territory, and in international waters.
