NEW DELHI, July 13: Proposed naval war games in the Bay of Bengal in September involving India, the United States, Australia, Japan and Singapore ignited protests on Friday from India's main communist groups known to be sympathetic to China.

Twenty warships from five countries, including three aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and fighters, will assemble in the Bay of Bengal for the exercise to be hosted by India.

Last month's joint manoeuvres by Indian, US and Japanese warships off the Japanese coast in the Pacific had brought a strong reaction from China.

Beijing issued a demarche to the three nations, demanding to know the reason for them undertaking such war games close to Chinese territory.

In the new exercise the warships to be fielded include two American nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, USS Nimitz and Kitty Hawk, Indian defence ministry officials were quoted as saying here on Friday.

Press Trust of India said the exercise codenamed Malabar-07 would feature missile destroyers, stealth frigates, nuclear and conventional submarines and tankers.

The five-day manoeuvres will also see shore-based Jaguar deep penetration strike aircraft of the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy's Sea Harrier jets and Sea King helicopters from the INS Viraat in action.

In a statement, Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expressed serious concern about the proposed joint naval exercise.

“This is a step towards India being drawn into the already existing trilateral military cooperation between the US, Japan and Australia,” the CPI(M) said.

“In the recent period, preparations have been going on for a quadrilateral framework for security cooperation involving India, United States, Japan and Australia.

“Coming in the wake of the recent visit of the USS Nimitz to Chennai, the announcement of the joint naval exercise is part of the implementation of the “New Framework for Defence Relationship” signed by the UPA government in July 2005.

Japan and Australia are close military allies of the United States. India is now moving to join their ranks,” the CPI(M) said.