US secretary of state Blinken is in Australia for the quad meeting, the quad countries include US, India, Japan and Australia. The purpose of quad is defined as ” to secure rules based global order, freedom of negotiation and, a liberal trading system” with the aim of extending alternative debt financing for Nations in Indo-Pacific regions.
But many analysts see the quad as a coalition formed by US and Japan for the sole purpose of containing China’s growing power in the region and a round the world. Although both India and Australia have finally embraced the quad, they both did so after certain situations happened in their relationship with China and India one of quad members doesn’t want the organization to be a military block but a commercial block that could help to compete with China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
For US, Japan and Australia, the quad helps them if its becomes both a military and an economic block but India unlike Australia and Japan which have been under US military control for decades, India wants to retain its autonomy and joining a military block would mean India giving up its autonomy which at this time is unacceptable to many Indians.
All quad members agree that China should be contained but disagree on the methods to be used since each of the four members of quad has different relations and interests with China.
So Blinken’s role in visiting Australia is aimed at shoring up Indo-Pacific partnership and countering China’s growing power in the region but Blinken visits Australia at time when tensions are running high in Europe over Ukraine and so far some of the quad members like India have been silent on the matter.
India is in dailema, India has got long history of close relations with Russia especially when it comes to arms industry where India still buys 70% of its arms from Russia and almost 85% of its weapons stock pile are Russian made which means India still needs Russia for spare parts and servicing but India is also relaying on US to help contain China’s growing power in the region and around the world.
If the war in Europe starts and Russia go head to head with NATO, US will be involved and whether US wins or loses the war, it will weaken US military power and global influence further which means US will nolonger have the ability to contest China and India will be left alone against China which is un even match. So India is Stark in between and has been doing everything to make sure Russia and USA don’t go to war over Ukraine since that’s the best possible outcome for India and possibly Europe and the world because if US get involved in any war with a near peer competitor, its the end of US as a sole super power.
Blinken is expected to spend three days in Australia, he will attend the meeting for foreign ministers of quad members on Friday and then head to Fiji to meet a number of Pacific island leaders to convince them not join China or chose China over US and Australia who have been a dominate force in the region before the rise of China.
Blinken is expected to affirm the quad as a key component of US foreign economic and security policy in Indo-Pacific region and he says ” its through this partnership that we are strengthening the security environment in the region to push back against aggression and coercion”.
Marise Payne, the Australian minister for foreign affairs says the quad ministers will focus on vaccine distribution in the region, cyber security and critical technology, countering malicious disinformation, counterterrorism, security and climate change.
” A network of liberal democracies, we are committed to very practical cooperation and ensuring that all Indo-Pacific Nations, large and small are able to make their own strategic decisions and make those decisions free from coercion” she said.
The quad ministers are also expected to talk about increasing partnership between China and Russia after president Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China declared that there was no limits to strategic partnership during their meeting at Beijing winter Olympics opening ceremony.
The two leaders pledged mutual protection of the core interests as China supported Russia’s demands against NATO and Ukraine with Russia supporting China’s claims over Taiwan.
Russia also denounced US moves to counter China through AUKUS, a pact reached among US, UK and Australia where US and UK will partner to supply Australia with nuclear powered submarines with the aim of countering China in South China Sea.
The quad ministers meeting is also expected to set the agenda for the heads of states who will be meeting in Japan.
Blinken is also expected to visit Hawaii to meet with his counter parts from South Korea and Japan to discuss concerns over North Korea nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
Few days ago, North Korea threatened to test the most powerful ballistic missile which will shake the world with capability to reach US mainland.
