View: Will Quad become another toothless tiger? | Economic Times

The first in-person QUAD summit at the White House culminated with a joint statement emphasising mutual co-operation of member countries. There were lots of expectations from the meeting, and the very first need of formation of this group -- "to contain China'' -- was missing from the charter. There was no statement on military co-operation or militarisation of Quad, and there was no discussion on how to counter Chinese expansionary tactics in both territorial and economic domains. The joint statement clearly missed out on continuation of military exercises, and on the situation in South China Sea. Quad leaders were also silent about the safety and security of various shipping channels across Asia-Pacific. If we analyse the fact sheet issued by White House, we wonder how Quad is going to achieve its aim if its leaders are not sensitive to the critical threat the world faces. Has Quad been overshadowed by AUKUS? And if it has been overshadowed by AUKUS, will AUKUS alone be able to control China in the Asia-Pacific?Quad is an important coalition formed in 2004 for the safety, security and well being of Asia-Pacific. Over these years, its member countries were engaged in various military exercises in the Indo-Pacific region, which prompted some of the analysts to term it 'Asian- NATO'. China too has been extremely vocal about Quad and condemned it at all forums. While issues like Covid relief, global health, climate change, people exchange and education, critical and emerging technologies, cybersecurity and space found a place in the joint statement, there were several others missing. Lets analyse what could have been part of the statement of Quad leaders.1. Militarisation of Quad: Since the countries have been carrying out Exercise Malabar over the last few years, and it yielded fruitful results too, continuation of military cooperation was a prerequisite to creating a safe environment in Asia-Pacific. Geographically, Japan, India and Australia are the three corners of the Asia Pacific region, and if we take the US across the Pacific Ocean, it forms another axis. These essential pillars of Quad have to be connected economically as well as militarily, so that there is peace in the region.2. Chinese occupation of South China Sea: After China forcefully developed various island chains in the South China Sea, claimed entire chunks of the region through its nine-dash line, and heavily militarised these islands, there is a big threat to the security of the Asia-Pacific region. Chinese territorial disputes with almost every country of South Asia is another reason to worry. It becomes a mutual responsibility of Quad to formulate a strategy to counter such moves of China. Better to be now than be late forever.3. Chinese Belt and Road Initiative and debt trap diplomacy: Another looming aspect is Chinese BRI, as well as its debt trap diplomacy. The way smaller countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar and some ASEAN and African nations are falling to the Chinese trap, it is the responsibility of Quad to suggest an alternative. A trade coalition involving Quad and ASEAN could have been an answer. However the White House statement was silent on this. 4. Safety and security of shipping channels across Asia: With Chinese military bases present in Gwadar (Pakistan), Djibouti and Myanmar, there could be serious threats to the safety of major shipping channels through the Red Sea, Gulf of Hormuz, and Strait of Malacca. Nearly 60% of global oil passes through these channels, and there was not a single word from Quad leaders about this. Today, China can create a temporary shipping blockade in this region, which can even escalate into a military conflict. In absence of a clearly defined Quad policy, it is impossible to challenge that.5. Terrorism and present situation in Afghanistan: It's twenty years since 9/11 happened and America started its war against terror. Two countries of QUAD -- India and the US -- have been the worst victims of terrorism, and in the light of current events in Afghanistan, it becomes very much more relevant for QUAD leaders to emphasise on this issue. Islamist terror is also rising in Australia a rapid pace, and several stabbing and killing incidents were reported from the country in the past few years. Such events cannot be controlled unless the leaders come together and formulate a strategy.Apart from these major points, there were issues like involvement of other regional powers in QUAD, as well as formulating a masterplan with dedicated timelines. However, all these were missing from the joint statement, and it spoke about general and contemporary issues without even touching the very principle of formulation of this group of nations. There are two big questions before the world now. Will this coalition become another toothless tiger like NAM? And, who will now stand up to Chinese expansionary tactics?