India recently concluded a strategic treaty with Australia, a Quad member, whereby both parties can use the military, naval and air bases of one another whenever required. India and Australia along with the USA and Japan have already joined hands to counter China’s aggressive debt-trap policy. Also known as “The Quad”, together they conduct military exercises in ASEAN countries.
However, this move comes in the interesting times – where on one hand, India has been calling out on China for violating Line of Actual Control (LAC), on the other, Canberra’s call for an international investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus has not been well received by China. The security cooperation between the two nations is likely to counter China’s rising aggressive and imperialist assertions in the region.
The initiative can boost the defence and strategic affairs of ASEAN countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, Vietnam, among others, as almost all these countries have remained under threat due to aggressive policies by China which claims a monopoly over the South China Sea.
While this may look easy on paper, the task at hand is onerous as the dragon consistently uses unethical and crooked means against all countries in the world as in several cases like Tibet, South East Asian countries, Hong Kong, Taiwan, among others. Furthermore, the global tension created by the COVID-19 is believed to be intentionally manufactured by China to gain global supremacy.
By its recent standoff over LAC, China aims to intimidate India as it fears the country may soon join the emerging anti-China faction of USA, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and many others. It is clear that China feels isolated and fears global sanctions going forward. Perhaps the Asian giant, and wannabe global superpower has come to understand the inherent message of the India-Australia security deal.
