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| Economic times |
What is a squad and what is its purpose we will also learn how it is useful for India?
The Quad is an informal strategic dialogue between the four democracies, India, Australia, and Japan, also known as the quadrilateral dialogue, or you can use the acronym Quad. If you look at these four countries on the world map, it will become a square, basically, a closed two-dimensional shape with four straight sides. The alliance aims to protect the Indo-Pacific region from perceived Chinese expansion policy, the idea behind grouping was first proposed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. But the idea did not go ahead as Australia withdrew due to Chinese pressure.
Thirteen years later, in 2020, India, the US, Australia, and Japan turned that idea into reality and this year, the long-awaited Quad alliance was formed. Australia joined the Malabar exercise at India's invitation, after which for the first time all members of the Quad proposed to participate militarily this year.
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| The Indian wire |
Why do these nations come close?
In June, relations between China and Australia began to deteriorate due to the mishandling of Covid19 in Australia. India took advantage of this and sent an invitation to Australia to join the court. Earlier, Australia could not join the Quad because if you look at Sino-Australian relations, China has been a major investor in Australia. In 2014, the Prime Minister of Australia and the President of China described their country's relations as a comprehensive strategic partnership this year. In April, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the Covid19, which was first discovered in China, and this saw the beginning of a decline in Sino-Australian relations.
Read: China and Taiwan: the western bloc against China?
On the other hand, India took advantage of this and sent an invitation to Australia to join the court. What is the purpose of Quad?
Countering China:
There are many important sea lanes in the Pacific region that even the Chinese are aware of and have always believed to have been increasing their influence in the region which is considered by these quad members as part of China's global expansion policy. Therefore, the Quad aims to develop a new strategy to keep key sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific region free from Chinese influence. And of course, if the four major nations are part of it, then the Chinese have something to say about it. They criticize it and call it the Asian version of NATO -- the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which was created to provide collective protection against Russia. Russia had signed a number of important agreements with NATO in 1994 and there is even a Russian NATO Council that deals with security issues and joint projects.
However, China criticizes the alliance of these four countries. Now the question is how this alliance is useful for India.
Sino-Indian relations:
As you all know, the territorial dispute between India and China near the Himalayan region has been going on since 1962. Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Doklam in Sikkim, border of Nepal, then Arunachal Pradesh. The border dispute is one of the important reasons pushing India against China.
The second reason is that China is the world's largest manufacturing economy and exports goods, which means it relies heavily on trade. A large part of Chinese trade is through Indian sea routes. So the only way to contain the Chinese influence is possible through the water. Further, the China-Pakistan nexus on land is a big concern for India and there is no end to these problems but Australia can do it in the water with the help of Japan and the US. Possibly, disrupting Chinese trade and sending a clear message to China to restrict herself from expanding in the Indo-Pacific region.
The group could also work together to monitor shipping ships for search and rescue or anti-piracy operations. The quad can also provide infrastructure support to seasonally vulnerable states during storms and typhoons.
Read: India-China war: India's Economic plans to counter China:
India’s ambition to become a regional power:
If you see that India is located at the very center of the geopolitical region of the Pacific, if tomorrow or in the future there is a situation where India has a facilitator to create a vision for many neighboring Asian countries, India will be able to do so. So, it will benefit India by fulfilling its regional power ambitions. These are some of the benefits and opportunities that India enjoys under Quad management.
The four countries held a Foreign Ministers' Conference in Japan on October 6, after which India and the United States met in New Delhi on October 26 and 27. As a result, the Malabar exercise began on Tuesday, November 3. It was a three-day joint naval exercise of the four countries in the Bay of Bengal. The second phase of the Malabar exercise will be held in the Arabian Sea, which will be a further three-day naval exercise. The Malabar exercise began in 1992 between the Indian Navy and the US Navy. It was then a bilateral naval exercise in the Indian Ocean and later Japan became a partner in it, but as soon as Australia moved away Japan became a permanent member of the exercise in 2015. China has always viewed the Malabar exercise with skepticism. He sees every regional and global strategic group as a challenge to his security. This was the 24th edition of the Quad Joint Naval Exercise in the last two years.
However, this sets the stage for a new race of powerstruggle among nuclear-armed states.
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