QUADRILATERAL SECURITY DIALOGUE – DEFENCE
News: India is planning to hold Quad meet in Japan, says Foreign Secretary
What is in the news?
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India is planning to hold
a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) on the sidelines of the G7
meeting in Japan.
Key takeaways:
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In Japan, Mr. Modi will
participate in the G7 summit where India is a guest country which will be
followed by a visit to Papua New Guinea where he will jointly lead the summit
of the Forum for India Pacific
Islands Cooperation (FIP IC).
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India’s regular
participation at the G7 summits clearly points to increasing recognition that
India should be a part of any serious effort to resolve global challenges
including those of peace, security, development and environment preservation.
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After Hiroshima, Mr. Modi
will proceed to Papua New Guinea where he will inaugurate the 3rd summit of the
FIPIC on May 22.
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India has been supporting
a number of programmes in the member countries of the FIPIC in the fields of
sustainable development, solar energy and health.
Significance of Quad for India:
1. Counter China's dominance:
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As a member of the Quad,
in the event of rise in the Chinese hostilities on its borders, India can take
the support of the other Quad nations to counter it.
● In addition, India can even take the help of its naval front and conduct strategic explorations in the Indo-Pacific region.
2. Emergence as regional security provider:
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India under the SAGAR
initiative wants to become a net security provider in the Indian Ocean.
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QUAD cooperation may give
India access to multiple strategic locations for creating Naval bases.
3.Indian centric approach:
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India is much more
central to the entire Quad framework. The entire Framework concentrates on the
India Pacific region. By taking a leadership role along with countries like the
US, Australia and Japan, India showcases its capability to other countries in
the Indo-Pacific.
4. Platform to boost East Asia relations:
●
Quad gives a powerful
platform to advance its interests in East Asia, coordinate strategies with
powerful friends and add more strength to its Act East initiative.
5. Economic importance of the region:
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Countries in the
Indo-Pacific produce over 60% of global GDP, making the region the largest
single contributor to global growth.
●
The Indo-Pacific region
also stands at the intersection of international trade, with around 32.2
million barrels of crude oil pass through annually and 40% of global exports
come from the region.
Initiatives to under the QUAD relationship:
1. Malabar Exercise:
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It is a multilateral
war-gaming naval exercise that was started in 1992. It began as a bilateral
exercise between the navies of India and the United States. From 2002 onward,
the exercise has been conducted every year.
2. QUAD vaccine Initiative:
●
This initiative has
supplied more than one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine to countries in the
region to ensure the region Covid-19.
3. QUAD Cyber challenge:
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The Quad has launched a
public campaign, Quad Cyber Challenge, to encourage internet users across the
Indo-Pacific and beyond to adopt safe and responsible cyber habits.
4. Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster
Relief:
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The exercise aims to
provide a unique platform for the exchange of domain knowledge, experience and
best practices with the participating Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
member countries.
5. Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime
Domain Awareness:
● IPMDA will work with regional information fusion centers in the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands to support enhanced and shared maritime domain awareness to promote stability and prosperity.
6. Quad Investors Network:
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It was launched to
advance technology partnerships and accelerate access to capital.
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Five working groups have
been created in the areas of artificial intelligence, clean energy and critical
minerals, mobile networks, semiconductors and quantum information sciences.
Challenges/ Issues:
1. Overlapping of multiple forums:
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QUAD and AUKUS are
established as forums to counter China's dominance in the region. Both USA and
Australia are members of both the initiatives, this has created overlapping
issues in the region.
2. Regional conflict:
●
China sees this as an anti-China
group. That has the potential to create a regional security catastrophe which
will cause some irreversible losses in the region.
3. India’s Security concerns ignored:
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By affiliating with the
U.S.-led maritime coalition, India ignored the principal areas of its security
concerns in northern borders. Recently with border clashes, China has given
India a rude reminder that India’s security concerns lie in its northern
borders, not the west Pacific.
4. Undermines India’s Non-Alliance System:
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Historically India had
not sided with any group or alliance. This membership has reduced India's image
as a Non-Alliance country.
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The fact that India is
the only member that is averse to a treaty alliance system, has slowed down the
progress of building a stronger Quadrilateral engagement.
5. Undefined Vision:
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Although there is
potential for cooperation, the Quad remains a mechanism without a defined
strategic mission.
WAY FORWARD:
1. Clear Indo Pacific Framework for India:
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India should develop a comprehensive
vision on the Indo-Pacific like Bangladesh's 'Indo Pacific Outlook
Declaration', which would ideate on the current and future maritime challenges,
consolidate its military and non-military tools, engage its strategic partners.
2. Avoidance
of arms race:
●
Quad should avoid
becoming an Asian-NATO as being projected in the discussions. Such an alliance
has the potential to start an arms race in the region.
3. 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.
4. Clear
vision for the QUAD:
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It is important for
members of the Quad not to be reactive. It is also important to exhibit
openness, and ensure that all talk of a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ is more
than just a mere slogan.
Go back to basics:
QUAD:
Members:
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QUAD was officially
established in 2017.
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The Quad, officially the
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a group of four countries: the United States, Australia, India, and Japan.
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Unlike NATO, the Quad
does not include provisions for collective defence, instead choosing to conduct
joint military exercises as a show of unity and diplomatic cohesion.
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Quad members have also
indicated a willingness to expand the partnership through a so-called Quad Plus that would include South
Korea, New Zealand, and Vietnam amongst others.
'Spirit of the QUAD':
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The group’s primary
objectives include maritime security, combating the Covid-19 crisis, especially
vis-à-vis vaccine diplomacy, addressing the risks of climate change, creating
an ecosystem for investment in the region, and boosting technological
innovation.