Even as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s India visit put the spotlight on bilateral ties, a four-way meeting of the top diplomats of Quad members—the US, India, Australia and Japan—that he attended in New Delhi on Tuesday has drawn attention back to the group’s goal of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The contextual irony is the unfree and closed Strait of Hormuz, which is near India’s corner of the Quad’s focal zone. Since America bears significant responsibility for this state of affairs, it’s unlikely to have been a matter of much discussion.
The latest gathering, however, yielded key agreements on critical minerals, maritime initiatives and energy security. The subtext is an effort to keep an assertive China from over-projecting power.
Yet, regardless of the extent to which Beijing may be backing Tehran in Iran’s conflict with the US and Israel, Washington seems to prefer engaging China directly. If this reflects some US neglect of the Quad, then its other three members may need to work out how to keep the group going without White House enthusiasm.
Australia is part of Aukus, a more recent alliance that includes the UK and US. Perhaps India could forge closer ties with Japan.