A high-profilemeet in the UScomes amid a risingChinesechallenge in the IndianOcean
The leaders of the Quad – the grouping of India, Australia, Japan and the UnitedStates – haveoftendescribed the grouping as a force for good with a constructiveagenda that focuses on keychallenges of the Indo-Pacificregion such ashealthsecurity, climatechange, cleanenergytransition, infrastructure and connectivity, and critical and emergingtechnologies. Yet, quietly, the groupinghasalsofound a solidfooting in the realm of security and defence through cooperation and jointinitiatives between its members. The originalname for the grouping, the QuadrilateralSecurityDialogue – a formulation that israrelyusednowadays in officialdocuments – laid out the importance of the securityelement in the comingtogether of these four keypowers. Equallyunstatedis the manner in which the Quad’sinitiativeswereconsistentlyaimed at counteringchallengesemanating from China, whether it isensuringfreedom of navigation and overflight, maintaining the rules-basedorder, or settingstandards for criticaltechnologies.
This iswhy a meeting of seniormilitarycommanders from Quadmembercountries, includingIndia’schief of defencestaff (CDS) GeneralAnilChauhan, in Sunnylands in California for a high-profilemeeting on Indo-Pacificsecurity this weekissignificant. It is the clearestindicator yet that the groupingisseeking to takesecuritycooperation to the nextlevel before the QuadSummitlater this month. The securityaspect of the formationwasalreadystrengthened by Australia’sinclusion in the Malabarnavalexercise, an advanceddrillinvolving the navies of India, Japan and the US that isconducted every year. The Californiaevent, therefore, islikely to serve as a forum for increasinginteroperability between the armedforces of the four countries and consolidatingcooperation in a range of areas, from jointtraining and exercises to ways to counterchallenges in the Indo-Pacific.
In a way, focus on the securityelement in Quadwasinevitable, given the seriouschallenges in the Indo-Pacificarising from China’sincreasinglyaggressive and assertivebehaviour. Two members of the Quad – India and Japan – aregrappling with seriousterritorialdisputes with China, while Australia and the UShavestrainedrelations with China because of sharpdifferences in areas such astrade and maintaining the rules-basedorder. It is no surprise, hence, that Quadmembersarelooking to deepenengagement with regionalpartners, includinginformation-sharing and technicalassistance, strengthenmaritimesecurity, uphold the UNConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and ensure the security of sealines of communication. For NewDelhi, the meetingmayalsosignal a potentialshift in strategy at a time when Beijingislooking to exertpressure in the IndianOceanregion, and showonceagain that for India, the long-termstrategicadversarycontinues to beChina.
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