The ‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’ (QUAD), the strategic forum forged by India, USA, Australia and Japan, seeks to enforce a free and open Indo-Pacific region in the face of the threat posed by China, particularly to the small nations in the region. China’s bullying and acquisitive approach towards the sea routes and economic zones of these countries impacts the interests of even the larger nations like India and Australia. After the QUAD’s formation, it has acquired a more structured nature. Apart from countering China’s influence, it seeks to “support democracy, rule of law and human rights”. It has further evolved to military cooperation, joint exercises and sharing of ‘information’.
The meeting in the US of QUAD leaders has further expanded the scope of this cooperation to the finalising of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (IOIP) and supported its implementation. It has also agreed to implement the ‘Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI)’ to monitor and secure waters, enforce laws, and deter unlawful behaviour. Other initiatives such as on combating cancer and providing relief in disaster situations indicate that it is growing beyond just a defensive mechanism against China’s expansionist policy.
China is, of course, not going to be a passive bystander. It has continuously tested not just the resolve of the QUAD but also targeted in many ways the interests of individual nations. India is on its radar, which includes ‘encircling’ measures such as the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ and the interventions in Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. These have faced setbacks but have made enough impact to require a counter. Under the principle of ‘the enemy of the enemy is a friend’, India and the US have developed something of a combined counterstrategy. The QUAD is one of the results.
Unfortunately, the United States has rarely been a committed friend to anybody. When push comes to shove, its interests become very narrow, and its support is almost always conditional. As such, India needs to strengthen its relations with the other two members of the QUAD – Japan and Australia, irrespective of how much the US contributes. It also needs to pursue its own strategy against China, which involves more than just the Indo-Pacific front. This includes also China’s proxies operating within India. It is as much an ideological battle as it is one on the security and economic fronts. In the present context, however, the results of the QUAD meet in the US have been mostly positive, which makes the effort worthwhile.
