Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu shared a warning about the US’ Asian plans during a SCO meeting. In his words, “As for the Asia-Pacific region, here too we see systematic attempts to reformat the regional security system from ASEAN-centric to American-centric. This is being done by strengthening Washington-oriented military-political structures such as QUAD, AUKUS and the US-Japan-Philippines triad.” With all due respect, there’s no longer any need to talk about the Quad in this context.
Before explaining why, here are three pieces about the US’ Asian plans:
* 1 May 2023: “The US Is Rounding Up Allies Ahead Of A Possible War With China”
* 16 June 2023: “The US’ Nascent Trilateral Alliance With Japan & The Philippines Will Integrate Into AUKUS+”
* 9 April 2024: “The US Is Tightening Its Containment Noose Around China In The First Island Chain”
Meanwhile, these three document the newfound trouble in Indian-US ties:
* 23 November 2023: “India’s Honeymoon With The West Might Finally Be Over”
* 28 March 2024: “India Won’t Let Germany, The US, Nor Anyone Else Meddle In Its Internal Affairs”
* 8 April 2024: “American Experts Won’t Admit That Their Country Is Responsible For Fragile Indo-US Ties”
And finally, here are three pieces about the strength of Russian-Indian ties:
* 25 February 2024: “India’s Top Diplomat Explained Why His Country Is Doubling Down On Ties With Russia”
* 11 March 2024: “Russian-Indian Relations Are Moving Beyond Their Prior Military-Centricity”
* 25 March 2024: “Jaishankar Reaffirmed India’s Trust In Russia Amidst Claims Of The Latter Drifting Towards China”
In the order that they were shared, these analytical series show that: AUKUS and the US-Japan-Philippines triad are driving the American militarization of Asia; Indian-US ties have become troubled like never before; while Russian-Indian ones are enjoying a renaissance last seen since the 1970s. With this in mind, talking about the Quad in connection with the US’ aforesaid plans isn’t accurate since India has proven itself to be truly independent, unlike fellow members Australia and Japan.
Those two participate in AUKUS and the abovementioned triad, which are driving the American militarization of Asia, while India remains outside of those frameworks. At present, the Quad’s only purpose is holding yearly meetings between its leaders and coordinating regional disaster relief efforts, not containing China. Prior speculation about this supposedly secret intention was discredited by India refusing to sacrifice its national interests vis-à-vis Russia for the US’ sake from 2022 onward.
Moreover, AUKUS and the US-Japan-Philippines triad are between American treaty allies to whom Washington has legal military commitments, while no such ones exist with respect to India. Those two frameworks are thus much tighter and more cohesive than the Quad, which explains why they’re taking the lead in containing China in the Asia-Pacific. To be sure, Sino-Indo ties are worse than at any time since the immediate aftermath of their brief 1962 war, but the following three pieces add context to this:
* 4 May 2023: “RIC’s Differences Should Be Candidly Acknowledged Instead Of Denied Or Spun By Alt-Media”
* 24 October 2023: “Chinese Control Over Disputed Bhutanese Territory Could Imperil India’s National Security”
* 29 March 2024: “India’s Support Of The Philippines In Its Maritime Dispute With China Isn’t Related To The US”
What they show is that their problems are due to their preexisting territorial disputes as well as mutual mistrust brought about by these neighbors’ large sizes, different political models, and rapid economic rises. In other words, their tensions are naturally occurring and not the result of American meddling, let alone India acting as the US’ proxy against China. If it was such a proxy like some top Alt-Media influencers such as this scandalous one implied here, then it would have already sanctioned Russia.
For these reasons, Russia should stop talking about the Quad in connection with the US’ Asian plans since India has proven that its participation in that framework is as a truly independent member, not as a junior partner in a “Washington-oriented military-political structure” like Australia and Japan are. Furthermore, the Quad doesn’t do a fraction of what AUKUS and the US-Japan-Philippine triad have already done in containing China, so it’s long overdue for Russia to finally update its perceptions about it.
