Indian, US and Japanese navies are carrying out a complex naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal and the Chinese media sees it as a threat.

The USS Nimitz, the US navy aircraft carrier, carries F/A-18 super hornet fighter jets; a dozen jets are launched every two minutes. This is just one of the 21 ships, two submarines and more than 100 aircraft involved in this operation conducted jointly by the US, Indian and Japanese navies for maritime reconnaissance and antisubmarine purposes.

All three nations insist that the purpose is for humanitarian needs, such as disaster relief, but experts feels this is a hidden message to China to follow international norms. The Chinese navy`s presence in the Indian Ocean has been increasing of late.