As Quad makes China rant & squirm, Jaishankar shares a wise word for Xi Jinping's sanity

Amid China's opposition to the Quad grouping comprising India, Australia, the US and Japan, on July 28, while addressing a joint presser with US counterpart Antony Blinken, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that certain countries should get over the idea that "other countries are doing things that are directed against them."

Antony Blinken during his two-day visit to the national capital clarified that the Quad is not a military alliance, rather its objective is to advance regional cooperation on regional challenges while reinforcing international values and rules. 

EAM Jaishankar further said, "In a globalised world India has interests that are far beyond its immediate neighbours. People need to get over ideas that somehow other countries doing things is directed against them. Countries do things that are in their interests for their good and the good of the word and that is exactly the case with the Quad."

Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is an informal strategic alliance involving the US, India, Japan and Australia which aims to safeguard the interests of democratic nations in the Indo-Pacific region. Comments of EAM Jaishankar and Antony Blinken hold relevance against the continual opposition to the Quad from China. Beijing has described Quad as a military alliance "aimed against China's resurgence" in South Asia. Previously, Xi Jinping-led government opposed the Quad unison and even asked Biden-administration to refrain from making "troubles out of nothing" and to do more to contribute to regional peace and stability. 

China's opposition aligns with Russia's hostility towards the Quad. In December 2020, Russia's EAM had labelled the alliance "divisive" and "exclusivist tool" used under US' "devious policy" to engage New Delhi in tactics against China.

Antony Blinken speaks of Quad during India visit

Upon being asked about the Quad alliance, Antony Binken during his visit to New Delhi said that Quad is not a military alliance rather its objective is to advance regional cooperation on regional challenges while reinforcing international values and rules. 

"Quad if not a military alliance. Its purpose is to advance cooperation on regional challenges while reinforcing international rules and values that we believe together underpin peace, prosperity, stability in the region," Blinken stated during a joint presser.

"It is simple but as important. Four like-minded countries (US, India, Japan and Australia) coming together to work on some of the most important issues of the time that are going to have real impact on the lives of the people and do in a way that ensures free and open Indo-Pacific," he added.

Experts view the Quad as an "Arc of Democracy" in Asia as a move by powers to curb China's coercive and ascending assertiveness in the subcontinent. Earlier, Quad's first-ever leaders virtually met wherein all four State Heads had participated. In fact, Biden-led administration has proposed the first in-person rendezvous of the four leaders in September.