First Quad Summit

In News: The first Quad summit level talk was recently organised.

Key Highlights

• Participants were the Nation Heads (Prime Minister or Presidents) of all the 4 nations;
  • Mr. Modi, PM of India
  • President Joe Biden of the United States
  • Japanese Premier Yoshihide Suga
  • Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison
• Need of cooperation among the member countries to beat the global COVID-19 pandemic, with joint partnership on vaccines.
• It also emphasised the need for an “open” and “free” Indo-Pacific region.
• Renewing our commitment to ensure that our region is governed by international law, committed to upholding universal values and free from coercion.
• Quad is a value-based grouping that is trying to deal with the need for vaccines, climate change and other such issues.
• Military takeover in Myanmar also came up during the discussion among the leaders.

About QUAD:

• It is also known as Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD).
• QUAD is an informal group of India, US, Japan and Australia.
• It is a strategic dialogue with the objective to ensure a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo Pacific.
• The idea was first mooted by Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in 2007.
  • Although the genesis may be traced back to 2004 Tsunami relief and rescue missions where all four came together.

• Shared values between the nations are:
  • Political democracies
  • Market economies
  • Pluralistic societies
• Backdrop
  • Rising Chinese Influence and Assertion in Indo-Pacific
  • Chinese unilateral claim over Nine-Dash Line and ignorance of International Court of Arbitration Verdict
  • India China Standoff
  • Iron fist handling of Hongkong Protests
  • Imperialistic attitude toward Taiwan.
• Foreign ministers of the four countries held their first meeting under the ‘Quad’ framework in New York in September 2019.
• In November 2017, India, Japan, the US and Australia gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence.
• Timeline:
  • 2007: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe mooted the idea of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue
    • Could not materialise due to the reluctance of Australia
  • December 2012: Shinzo Abe again initiated a concept of Asia’s Democratic Security Diamond, involving Australia, India, Japan and the US.
    • The aim was to safeguard the maritime commons from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific.
  • 2015: Japan joined Malabar Exercise.
  • November 2017: QUAD Coalition was finally given present day form with active participation of India, US, Australia and Japan.
    • The aim was to keep critical sea routes open and free for navigation in Indo-Pacific.

Importance of QUAD for India

• Countering Chinese Influence: Recent stand-offs on Indo-China Border and reluctance of Russia to step in and build pressure is forcing India to look for alternatives.
• Post COVID Diplomacy: The disruption across the world and non transparent systems of China pose an opportunity for India to take lead and become the World’s Manufacturing Hub.
  • India can leverage its expertise in the vaccine and pharma industry to increase its soft power.
  • Further, Japan and the US want to shift their manufacturing companies out of China in order to curb its imperialistic behaviour.
• Net Security Provider in Indian Ocean:  India under the SAGAR initiative wants to become a net security provider in Indian Ocean.
  • QUAD cooperation may give India access to multiple strategic locations for creating Naval bases.
• Multipolar World: India has supported rule based multipolar world and QUAD can help it in achieving its ambition of becoming regional super power.

Challenges before QUAD

• Formal opposition by China: China has formally intimated its displeasure over the QUAD meetings.
• Trade and Supply Chains: As seen recently, China is trying to leverage its position in Trade and Commerce to arm-twist other nations especially China and Japan.
  • Recently, MV Anastasia, an Australian coal-carrying ship was stranded for more than a month on the Chinese Coast. Even Indian Sailors got trapped in that.
  • China threatened to stop the supply of rare earth metals to the Japanese electronic industry.
  • Corona pandemic disrupted the Global supply chain due to lockdown in China.
• Chinese Closeness to ASEAN: With the signing of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), ASEAN and China have come further close.
• Cheque Book Diplomacy of China: The One Belt One Road Initiative, Maritime Silk Route, Unsustainable Debt and Project Fundings, etc are being deployed by China to attract small nations.
• Different Aspirations of QUAD Nations: QUAD’s coherence may suffer due to
  • India’s bid to balance QUAD and RIC (Russia, India and China),
  • The reluctance shown by Australia for QUAD in past,
  • Japan and the US are seeking their own economic interests with China.
  • Also there is a lack of coherence on the definition of Indo-Pacific.

Way Forward

• Strengthening Blue Dot Network: All four countries must pool their resources to check the Economic might of China, rather than just letting it function as a certification agency for infrastructure projects.
• Coherent strategy: All the member countries must develop a unified approach to tackle China rather than act in Individual interests.
• Formalise the talks: The formalisation may help to give QUAD a more structured format.
• QUAD can be an effective tool to counter Chinese adventure and imperialism ambitions in Indo-Pacific.

Source: TH