An auspicious start to Quad
IPEF is a good opening act. But member-states must manage their differences creatively
The second in-person summit of Quad leaders on May 24 couldn’t have asked for a better opening act. May 23 saw the launch of the Indo-pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a bloc which is aimed at reasserting the influence of the United States (US) in the region and countering China’s. Given that, and given the flexibility of the framework, IPEF is made for India, which has steered clear of the rigidity that being part of some economic groupings entails. Also, on Monday, US President Joe Biden said his country would use force to protect Taiwan, should China decide to attack it. New Delhi, which has always been wary of Beijing’s expansionist tendencies, will take heart from the sentiment expressed by Mr Biden.
In Tokyo on Tuesday, the leaders of Australia, Japan, India and the US, will seek to focus on convergences in critical technologies, climate action, trade, sustainable infrastructure and post-pandemic recovery, against the backdrop of differences on the Ukraine crisis and the resultant challenge of food security. The summit comes at a time when the grouping’s vaccine partnership has run aground with little hope of getting out a billion doses of Covid19 vaccines across the region by the end of 2022, mainly due to regulatory issues. To be sure, several working groups have done a lot of work, such as setting standards for emerging technologies and increasing cooperation in key areas such as rare earth minerals. Cooperation between Quad members on security too has been robust. However, Quad has not been able to capture the imagination of countries across the Indo-pacific. This is perhaps the reason why Quad members are seeking to unveil a new maritime initiative in Tokyo to curb illegal fishing in the Indo-pacific, a phenomenon largely blamed on China’s extensive fishing fleet. The move is expected to garner support from small countries across the region.
While India has sought to keep Quad’s focus on the Indo-pacific, the conflict in Ukraine is certain to come up at the summit. New Delhi’s restrictions on wheat exports have also become a sticking point, though the Indian side has made it clear it will do its utmost to help vulnerable countries. Quad leaders will do well to manage such differences creatively while focusing on bold new initiatives that emphasise the grouping as a counterweight to China in the Indo-pacific.