WEAK QUAD-ADVANTAGE CHINA?

 WEAK QUAD-ADVANTAGE CHINA?

QUAD- A group of 4 countries consisting of the USA, Japan, Australia, and India. QUAD was formed to counter China in the Indo-Pacific and create an Indo-Pacific economic framework. These countries mainly focus on many important aspects such as military, trade, and economic cooperation. QUAD was strong at the beginning but seems to slowly fade away. Former US President Donald Trump was very much determined to counter China in trade and military. He wasn't okay with seeing China becoming a dominant force. To counter China, he must step up and take some aggressive actions toward them. He then was very focused on QUAD. He supported the associated countries of QUAD. Though many people hate Trump, we must agree that he was very active in countering China and building QUAD to what it has risen to today. During Donald's presidential tenure, he imposed tariffs on Chinese goods and he even accused China of meddling in USA's 2018 mid-term elections. It was very clear that the USA didn't want China to be a global superpower.

Japan and Australia also have problems with China. China has been constantly aggressive in the South China Sea by deploying some naval ships and holding some mass drills. Japan is constantly worried about these actions and has warned China too. Japan cannot cut its ties with China because China is Japan's largest trade partner. They do trade with each other which involves Billions and Billions of USD. Japan cannot afford to lose China but doesn't want China to be aggressive. Many Japanese and Chinese politicians don't openly criticize each other but they convey their dissatisfaction with each other.

 Australia has accused China of its aggression in the South China Sea. The Solomon Islands, which is near Australia, has shown its interest in signing a security deal with China. If this deal is signed, China's PLA can have access to some military drills in the Solomon Islands. This poses a grave threat to Australia. Aussies aren't ready to fight with China in case a war breaks out. So it has been asking for help from the USA regarding the military equipment.

India has also had some territorial disputes with China. 1962 war and 2020's dangerous Galwan Valley face-off have made it very clear that these 2 ancient civilizations aren't getting along. All 4 countries have a common problem. So QUAD needs to sustain itself to counter China's Dominance and stop its pointless military actions.

Everything was going fine until the Russia-Ukraine war broke out. All the QUAD members except India, have openly condemned Russia. The USA was very angry with Russia's move and it imposed several Economic sanctions on Russia. All the US companies were ordered to shut their business in Russia. The USA, Japan, and Australia voted against Russia in the UNSC. Joe Biden has accused Putin as a war criminal and ordered him to stop his violent invasion of Ukraine. India abstained from the UNSC vote. India treats Russia as its most dependable, trustworthy, loyal friend. When India was fighting a war with Pakistan in 1971, Russia helped India by supplying military equipment and Submarines. So India didn't feel comfortable condemning Russia. It has suggested Russia stop its violent measures and asked them to solve the problem through dialogue. The USA was furious at India. US diplomats heavily criticized India for its abstention from the UNSC vote and asked India to condemn Russia. The USA has also accused India of buying discounted oil from Russia. They said that India was funding Russia to fight the war. Biden Administration has asked India to stay on the "RIGHT SIDE OF THE HISTORY" by opposing Russia. India had to counter the US and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has taken the job to defend India. He defended India's neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine war. He even criticized the USA and the West that India purchases less oil than Europe does in the afternoon. There was a crack in the Indo-US relations. The USA was very much unhappy and upset with India.

China has been watching this keenly. It felt that there was a definite rift among the QUAD countries. It seized the opportunity and signed the security pact with the Solomon Islands. It has been aggressive in the South China Sea and was sending its jets into Taiwan's air space. QUAD needs to repair and the USA has a very bigger role in that. Criticizing India won't bring them any good. If the rift continues to go on, China will become more and more powerful. QUAD will be weakened and China will definitely turn the tide in its favor and will constantly threaten other countries.