India can give a lot to Quad, and can get benefited in return. Let’s all win

India has unequivocally hitched itself to the Quad wagon, going by the statement of Foreign Minister S Jaishankar after his physical interaction with the Biden Administration in Washington over the weekend. Quad today fills a very important gap that has emerged in contemporary times, where there are global or regional requirements, which cannot be filled by a single country, the Minister said, adding it cannot even be filled by one bilateral relationship, and which is not being addressed at the multilateral level. With this, the turnaround in India’s policy in the East is complete. It began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi departing from previous policies of strategic cooperation with China and adopting an aggressive posturing following the unending Ladakh standoff. India’s bond with Quad — the US, Japan and Australia being the other three members — makes it party to the multilateral body’s commitment not only to keep the India-Pacific free and open, but also unquestionably — and even if not said in so many words —  makes India to be part of the US-led exercise to counter China in the Indian Ocean and, equally, in the South China Sea. The importance of Quad in India’s Look East policy becomes paramount because of what it can give to India and what the latter can give Quad. Among the four, India is the only developing country and by dint of its location becomes the only one with advantages of size and stature to challenge China in the long term and that India alone can be the counter-balancing factor in the region. The Quad understands India’s unique placement and that is why there will be a commitment from the body to help India to be self-sustained in its security and economic requirements. India has bilateral tie-ups with the members, but they would make a greater impact if they are formally sourced through Quad to assist India in fields as varied as defence and agriculture, economy and climate, technology and education. However, for it to fructify, Quad cannot continue to not discuss China or the threat it poses to the region’s security or the nature of the standoff India has been witnessing for quite some time now with no sign of de-escalation by China. Unless it opens itself up to the subject of China, India’s relevance to Quad will not come to the talking table; the multilateral body’s commitment to India’s progress will not be seriously forthcoming till then. The March 12 virtual Quad Summit discussed not China, but vaccines, cyber security and maritime security. And perhaps as a sign of things to come, the Quad will be helping India with the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccine, Japan and the US giving the financial support and logistical support from Australia.