Indien vs. China

[Schneemann]

Im Kontext von AUKUS ein wenig untergegangen ist das sog. Quad-Treffen zw. USA, Australien, Japan und Indien. Vor allem Indien, das eine direkte Grenze zu China hat, ist über die hegemonialen Ambitionen Pekings (und auch über seine Rüstungslieferungen an den Erzrivalen Pakistan) wenig begeistert. Und insofern ist es wenig verwunderlich, dass man dieses Misstrauen der Inder gegenüber den Chinesen nicht nur in Japan, sondern auch gerade bei den beiden AUKUS-Hauptprotagonisten einzubinden sucht in ein neues Viererbündnis. Und Indien wiederum nimmt dieses Ersuchen dankend an, auch wenn man in der Vergangenheit über die US-Bündnispolitik bzgl. den Pakistanis nicht erfreut war...

Modi at Quad summit: The China factor in Delhi's Indo-Pacific strategy

Like a lot of meetings this past year and a half, the first summit of the 'Quad' was virtual.

The leaders from the group, which comprises the US, India, Australia and Japan, connected online from their various nations back in March and agreed to cooperate on delivering one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Asian countries by the end of 2022. [...] So how does Aukus affect the Quad? Leaders from both these forums avoided mentioning China directly, but it's widely believed that their cooperation efforts are designed to counter China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will likely be mindful of China when he meets his fellow Quad leaders. India is the only country in the group which shares a border with China, and the border is bitterly disputed at several points. Troops from the two nations were involved in a deadly clash at one such point last year. [...]

The Quad meeting could allow Delhi to develop a joint worldview with the three partners on areas of shared concern, like countering China's influence in the region, said Pratyush Rao, director for South Asia at the Control Risks consultancy. "The meeting can lay the foundation for longer-term cooperation on the development of shared standards on critical technologies, military cooperation and pooling of resources to finance infrastructure projects in the region," Mr Rao said. The two forums, Aukus and the Quad, would also complement one another by demonstrating the countries' commitment to regional security in the Indo-Pacific, he said. [...]

But analysts say that a few deeper issues remain unresolved for India within the Quad framework. The main ones are India's own challenges in the Indian Ocean and its border disputes with China. India has long been uncomfortable with China's investments in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, driven by China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and now Beijing's growing influence in Afghanistan has also been causing concerns in Delhi.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58662655

Schneemann.