China will not be participating the world's biggest military exercise- Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) that is set to begin on June 27. The non-participation by China after being invited by the US to participate in RIMPAC 2018 is being viewed as another indication of the spat between the two global economies, that has been evident over the past few years. While the US has openly opposed China's expansionist strategies in the South China Sea, it has been attaching increasing importance to the Indo-Pacific by rebalancing its Pacific fleet.

In 2016, China was one of the 26 participants to take part in the biennial exercise. India has confirmed its participation in the exercise and PM Mosi, in his recent visit to Singapore had reiterated the importance of RIMPAC towards building mutual capabilities with regional partners. 

RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971- the US Pacific Command said in a statement. This year's exercise includes forces from Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam- the statement said.

"This robust constellation of allies and partners support sustained and favorable regional balances of power that safeguard security, prosperity and the free and open international order. RIMPAC 2018 contributes to the increased lethality, resiliency and agility needed by the joint and combined force to deter and defeat aggression by major powers across all domains and levels of conflict," it added.

"We work with partners like Vietnam to build mutual capabilities. India conducts Malabar Exercise with the United States and Japan. A number of regional partners join in India's Exercise Milan in the Indian Ocean, and participate in the RIMPAC in the Pacific," PM Modi had said during his recent visit to Singapore.

As many as 47 surface ships, five submarines, 18 national land forces, over 200 aircraft and more than 25000 personnel will be participating in the week-long exercise slated to take place off the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.