2024-05-08 07:03:53
manila: America, Australia and Japan together seem to be forming a new Quad with the Philippines. In the past weeks, it has come to light that America, Japan and Australia have created a Quad 2.0-like framework against China by bringing together their forces under the growing Indo-Pacific along with the Philippines. This has been done especially keeping in mind the South China Sea. India is keeping an eye on the fact that its Quad partners are forming a new grouping. US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin, during his visit to the Indo-Pacific region, had revealed the military plans of the Biden administration in Asia, describing China as the main challenge. Austin also met with the leaders of Japan, Australia and the Philippines for the group’s first meeting.
According to ABP report, Austin has said that we are united in our common vision of pursuing a free and open Indo-Pacific. In this meeting, the four countries have discussed increasing cooperation in the South China Sea. In this, it is important from India’s point of view that it is a part of Quad along with America, Australia and Japan. However, there appears to be no reason for India to be worried due to the formation of this new group. The main reason for this is that the priorities of both the groups are different. This new grouping has a greater military dimension and will focus on issues related to the South China Sea where China is increasing its activity, while the Quad focuses on humanitarian and disaster relief challenges.
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India will not face any problem with the new Quad
Derek Grossman, senior defense analyst at the US-based RAND Corporation, says the new defense arrangement poses no threat to India’s position in the original Quad. These are two separate initiatives that can easily coexist. He said the new Quad is aimed at countering China more directly. Both Japan and the Philippines are facing challenges with China over their claims to the Senkaku Islands and parts of the South China Sea.
Jagannath Panda, head of the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs at Sweden’s Institute for Security and Development Policy, said India’s strategic importance will remain unaffected. The reason for this is that all major Indo-Pacific powers need New Delhi’s cooperation on geopolitics. He said the new Quad echoes the spirit of the US, Australia, Japan and the Philippines, reinforcing America’s leadership in the Indo-Pacific. This new Quad will not act as a balancer to the existing Quad (US, Japan, India and Australia), nor will it diminish its importance. However, he admitted that the new Quad makes India’s strategic choices defensive to some extent. Panda said the US and its alliance partners like Japan and Australia want to ensure that their security needs are met in the region.