Quad Summit 2024: Has It Shifted Focus Amid Global Tensions, With US, India Striving To Ease China Relations?

It was not a sheer coincidence that the sixth Quad Summit was hosted by a lame-duck US president who will relinquish his office in a few weeks. Though it was India’s term to host the four-nation alliance, presumed to be aimed at containing China in the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region, President Joe Biden insisted on holding the meeting of the Quadrilateral Strategic Dialogue in his hometown of Delaware.

NATO’s Involvement Feared In War Against Ukraine

The Heads of the Governments of the US, Australia, Japan and India have met at a time when Ukraine is insisting on using US-made long-range missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia. President Vladimir Putin has warned the US against this misadventure saying it would mean direct involvement of NATO in the Russia-Ukraine War. He pointed out these missiles would use the U.S. navigational data and other technology, including satellite reconnaissance, and allow the 30-nation defence organisation to have effective control over the entire operation.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kyiv, hugged President Volodymyr Zelensky and offered to mediate a ceasefire with Moscow. His visit was seen as a balancing act after he visited Moscow and hugged Putin on the day when 41 people, including children, were killed in Ukraine in a Russian missile attack. Zelensky reacted angrily by calling it 'a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world's largest democracy hug the world's most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day.'

Washington wants China to dissuade it from cementing an anti-U.S. strategic axis with Moscow and aiding the war machine of Russia.

AUKUS To Focus On Indo-Pacific

Earlier, the US also allied with Australia and the UK, called AUKUS. But this grouping will get its teeth only a decade later when the nuclear-powered submarines would be transferred to Canberra to step up its surveillance in the Indo-Pacific and counter the Chinese Navy.

Squad To Complement Quad?

The US also formed a quadrilateral alliance with Japan, Australia and the Philippines, the country that has a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea. Called Squad, the four-nation grouping is yet to take shape as it is limited to allow Washington strategic positions in the country to keep an eye on the movements of the Asian tiger.

Quad Tones Down Anti-China Rhetoric

As the Russia-Ukraine War forced the US to dilute its agenda of containing China, the Quad declared in its statement on the conclusion of its last summit held in Japan's Hiroshima in 2023, that it would be 'a global force for good' through a 'positive, practical agenda.

It also did not talk about 'the freedom of navigation' or the Chinese threat, rather the four-nation alliance identified its priorities as climate security, health security, clean energy supply chains, and resilient and robust infrastructure.

Modi: Quad Not Against Anyone

In a statement that may surprise many, PM Modi declared in Delaware that the Quad was not against anyone. He said, "Our meeting is taking place at a time when tensions and conflicts surround the world. In such a situation, the Quad must unite around our shared democratic values for the greater good of humanity. We are not against anyone. We all support a rules-based international order, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the peaceful resolution of all issues."

Does India Want To Pacify China?

The Indian Prime Minister made this declaration days after the 31st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held in Beijing. The two sided declared in a joint statement that they had a 'frank, constructive and forward-looking exchange of views' on the tense situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and agreed to 'narrow down the differences' and find an 'early resolution” of the outstanding issues.'

US To Mend Fences With China

Similarly, US President Joe Biden will soon talk to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping over the phone, he may also meet him in person before the year-end. In an attempt to smoothen the U.S.-China relationship on bilateral issues, particularly trade relations, he declared on his Vietnam visit earlier, 'I don’t want to contain China.' He said further, 'We’re not trying to hurt China.'

QUAD Shifts Goalpost

The chinks with the Quad have been exposed and its limitations in international politics have been made clear. Though it shifted its agenda from a strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific to global challenges, the four-nation alliance cannot deal with universal challenges. Now, the coalition that was once dubbed as the 'Asian NATO' has limited itself to focus on climate change, emerging technologies, cybersecurity, infrastructure, vaccines, and outer space.

Xi Jinping must be smiling.