The visit to India this week of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun has been part of a long-term effort to woo the South Asian giant into some form of Asian anti-China alliance, an Asian branch of Pompeo’s much-touted “alliance of democracies.” Biegun spoke in New Delhi yesterday, effusive in his praise of India in order to bring them on board. The centerpiece of this project is the Quad, comprised of the U.S., India, Japan and Australia. Speaking at a meeting of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, Biegun said, “The Quad, which I think everyone knows is the United States, India, Australia, and Japan. First of all, these represent four extraordinarily solid democracies. And I think that’s critically important because while interests will drive all our nations to make choices in the policy sphere in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, shared values that complement shared interests create a solid foundation. And so at its core, what the Quad is, is a combination of democracies. But I think what also illuminates those four parties is a sense of responsibility and willingness to uphold the responsibilities, to extend the benefits of democracy, extend the benefits of economic development, and extend the benefits of security throughout the region. All four of us, of course, are Pacific powers.”
But the Quad is not meant to be exclusive, but will be expanded to a Quad Plus eventually. Biegun stated that when COVID hit, some of these countries were brought together by the U.S. to discuss the fight against COVID (given the U.S. expertise in the subject no doubt!) , which also included South Korea, New Zealand and Vietnam. Biegun explained that these countries would actually meet each week to discuss COVID — and perhaps other matters.
