What India stands to gain from Quad? Critically discuss while analyzing if there are any strategic or diplomatic takeaways for India from this recently rejuvenated multilateral forum.

Quad or Quadrilateral is a diplomatic initiative for regional coalition between great big democracies in the Indo-Pacific. The member countries in Quad are India, Japan, US and Australia. Recently, first meeting of Quad diplomats at office level happened in Manila. Some of the gains for India with Quad are

• The initiative may promotes free, open, prosperous and inclusive trade Indo-Pacific region and serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region including India.
• It helps India and other three Nations to counter China’s OBOR. As India is refused to join OBOR it helps India to connect with other markets like Central Asian and South East Asian markets.
• Moreover, both India and Japan will have to counter China to balance the power equation in the region

Though Quad idea was emerged for greater cooperation between the four nations Indian has less advantage with Quad compared with other Nation as India is already enjoying strategic partnership with the four countries.
Apart from less advantage, the initiative has some negative implications like

• It further hampers the bilateral relations between India and China.
• It went against Non-Alignment movement which is India’s initiative
• Quad may effect India-Russia relations and gave further impetus to improve China-Russia relations, which will impact India.
• Since these four countries are democracies, there can always be a change of government in the future, the new government may not prefer to lose it ties with China due to economic power of China As it happened in the case of Australia in 2007 due to China pressure.

Quad favours India in some way but the emergence of China is a reality, so before this initiative India might have bilateral ties with China.

Topics: GS-II: Bilateral Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements