'Quad' sets up 'new chessboard' in Indo-Pacific

With the alliance between the four countries of the United States, Japan, India and Australia, it seems that a “new chessboard” in the Indo-Pacific region is being rearranged. A new strategic balance is expected to emerge that will shape many political and economic issues of a large region.

On the sidelines of the ASEAN summit taking place in Manila, Philippines, a meeting that has attracted special attention from international observers is the first official dialogue between diplomatic officials from four countries including the US, Japan, India and Australia.

The dialogue focused on cooperation between the four countries, based on each side's vision and value system, to promote peace, stability and prosperity in a vast region from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific.

Shared vision

Leaders of the US, Japan, India and Australia met on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit on November 12. Getty Images

In fact, the concept of Indo-Pacific originated from the foreign policy of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Prime Minister Abe has a plan to form a “diamond alliance” including India - Japan - the US - Australia to ensure maritime security and safety in the Indo-Pacific region in the new context.

The idea was proposed by Shinzo Abe in December 2012 after his successful re-election. However, at that time, the alliance only cooperated in the defense field when the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force organized joint exercises between the US Navy and the Indian Navy, to make the defense exchanges of the three countries more flexible.

In the new context, especially the power transition in the US, this idea of ​​cooperation and alliance was once again mentioned and received enthusiastic responses from the US, India and Australia, simply because all countries recognized the common vision and interests.

For the US, many partners and allies are still skeptical about its Asia-Pacific policy after President Donald Trump declared the “death” of his predecessor Barack Obama’s “pivot to Asia” policy. However, during his visit to Asia in the past few days, the head of the White House has somewhat outlined his policy towards the region through the concept of a “free and open Indo-Pacific”.

This concept not only differentiates itself from the previous administration but also maintains and expands America's fundamental strategic interests in a vast area spanning Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and extending to the Indian Ocean.

Moreover, it is undeniable that while many changes occurred after Mr. Trump was elected, the relationship between the US and the remaining three countries has been maintained. In addition to long-standing alliances with Japan and Australia, the US has strengthened its relationship with India and considered it an important part of the “South Asia Policy” of the Donald Trump administration.

On India’s side, pursuing the “Act East” policy is the foundation for connecting the Indo-Pacific. In particular, India’s bilateral cooperation with the US, Australia and Japan is constantly being upgraded. If “shaking hands” with the US, India receives large economic contracts, then “reuniting” with Japan, India receives a sharing of dual interests, including security, defense and economy, to counter a rising China.

On the other hand, India, the US, Australia and Japan all share “Western democratic values” and uphold the rule of law. The concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific encompasses that.

Thus, in many aspects, the US-India-Japan-Australia relationship can be seen as reaching its peak with new developments based on sharing many common interests. At the dialogue on November 12 between the four countries, the parties discussed measures to maintain a “rules-based order” in the Indo-Pacific, assessed what has happened in the region and the North Korean issue. Terrorism and relationships affecting the region were also mentioned.

The dialogue is the first step towards building a “Quad” with many initiatives to shape many regional issues. It is expected that after the meeting at the diplomatic level, this “Quad” group will maintain meetings at the head of state level.

Message to the region

Ensuring maritime security and safety from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean is one of the goals of cooperation between the US, Japan, India and Australia. Getty Images

The cooperation of the four countries of India, the US, Australia and Japan carries many messages for the changing and transforming region. Firstly, it is a reaffirmation of the importance of the Pacific - Indian Ocean region in the common movement of the world in the new era.

Second, the cooperation also demonstrates the new “handshake” of the four countries after many years of ideas but not yet realized. Third, this “Quad” wants to coordinate to prevent any party from causing disadvantages and harm to the security and safety of the region, especially maritime and aviation routes.

Observers say that this four-party mechanism will exist in parallel with other existing mechanisms. For example, the US has established bilateral relations with many countries in the region, but there are still many limitations to connecting the entire network.

Therefore, this connection is expected to help countries coordinate more effectively in multilateral mechanisms. Besides, the US - India - Japan - Australia are all leading economies in the world, their cooperation opens up a large economic connection.

It can be said that the idea behind this quadrilateral alliance is to create a new, broader geopolitical game to preserve and better implement the strategic interests that all four countries are aiming for. It is likely that a network of many bilateral and multilateral security cooperation initiatives will develop rapidly in the near future.

Thus, it seems that a “new chessboard” in the Indo-Pacific region is being rearranged. And it is expected that a new strategic balance will emerge to shape many political and economic issues of a large region. However, the level of impact and influence of this connection depends on the cooperation of the US, India, Japan and Australia in the coming time./.

Thanh Huyen