Answer: The QUAD is an informal strategic forum comprising four nations – the USA, India, Australia, and Japan. Its significance lies in the fact that it is seen as a strategic grouping, aimed at reducing Chinese domination in the Indo-Pacific region. It aims to secure a rules-based global order, freedom of navigation, and a liberal trading system. There is no doubt that the QUAD is a promising security mechanism, however, the factors mentioned below pose a question on its significance:

• New security cooperation efforts springing up across the Indo-Pacific: QUAD partners are coming up with bilateral and other security agreements in the region, such as:
  • Recently, Japan and the UK signed a defense agreement that would facilitate the deployment of troops in each other’s countries.
  • In the recent Japan-US 2+2 meeting, they agreed to build an alliance that bolsters deterrence and addresses evolving security challenges.
  • Japan, Italy, and the U.K. signed an agreement to develop the next generation of air fighter jets under the new Global Combat Air Programme.
  • The AUKUS treaty between Australia, the UK, and the USA, relating to Australia’s acquiring nuclear-powered submarines, is another important agreement in the Indo-Pacific involving two of the QUAD partners.
  • India also has signed military logistics and reciprocal agreements with Australia, Japan, USA (the QUAD countries), and with France, Singapore, and South Korea.

Strengthening of Australia-Japan-U.S. trilateral: The trilateral seems to be more significant for the Indo-Pacific than the QUAD due to the following:

• • Consistency in cooperation under pressure has strengthened the triangle over the years. The year 2022 marked two decades of cooperation for the trilateral.
  • The QUAD has dealt itself out of defense issues while regular meetings of the trilateral defence ministers as well as intent to increase military interoperability shows the commitment to expand cooperation on strategic capabilities.
  • Pacific security does not represent an area of strong overlapping interest for the QUAD because India is far removed from the Pacific Island nations and has more pressing issues with the Chinese influence in South Asia and the Indian Ocean.

Thus, it seems that QUAD as a group could be left behind as these arrangements become more widespread and more in-depth in their focus on security cooperation. However, the QUAD grouping would still remain significant for the following reasons:

• The China challenge is persistent and the world’s like-minded democratic countries are intent on countering China.
  • The idea of QUAD is as much about enhancing ties among the four members as it is about providing credible alternatives to regional states that often end up without any real option other than to seek Chinese help.
• The QUAD’s ambitions and visibility have increased over the past few years. The QUAD agenda has been evolving and now includes key areas of convergence like trade, infrastructure, maritime security, etc.
• The American Indo-Pacific policy also now categorically envisions a “strong and reliable QUAD” alongside an “engaged” Europe.
• The QUAD members are willing to look past their other divergences. For example, QUAD’s recent joint statement depicts this maturity, particularly through India’s stand on Myanmar, North Korea, and China.

Also, one only has to look at the growing list of countries that want to join the platform to gauge its significance. The challenge for the QUAD now is to define its agenda with greater clarity and establish it as one of the most significant strategic actors in the world.

Answer: India launched the ‘Act Far East’ policy in 2019 to boost India’s engagement with Russia’s Far East (RFE) region. India had announced a $1 billion line of credit for the development of the resource-rich Far East region. The Far East is the easternmost part of Russia and it borders two oceans, the Pacific and the Arctic, and 5 countries (China, Japan, Mongolia, the United States, and North Korea). Significance of the Far East for India

• The geostrategic advantage for the Indo-Pacific region: The geographical location of the Far East with access to rail routes and access to large Pacific ports, energy transit routes, and a huge reservoir of natural resources act as the gateway to connect to the rest of the world, especially in the Indo- Pacific region.
• India’s engagement in this region gives access to explore more opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region providing India with access to fast-growing markets in Southeast Asia and beyond.
• Connectivity enhancement: Geographical distance has often been regarded as the biggest impediment to weak economic relations between India and Russia.
• In this direction, the Chennai-Vladivostok maritime route needs the utmost attention from both countries in order to benefit as it acts as an open gateway to the Indo-Pacific region.
• Through this route, India’s efforts to benefit from the region’s wealth will get a major boost when its Far East investments and policies correspond with its domestic ‘Blue Economy’ initiatives such as the SAGARMALA project.
• Economically: The key sectors for areas of cooperation for India include minerals and rare earth, energy, forestry and timber, healthcare, agriculture and food processing, ceramics, tourism, and infrastructure.
• The region is full of energy resources such as gas and oil. India has already invested in Russian oil fields and is looking for more investment opportunities.
• Strengthen relations with Russia: The 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) held in 2019 emerged as one of the key focus areas to strengthen India-Russia economic cooperation alongside the aim to reach the $30 billion target of trade by 2030.
• India’s growing engagement with East Asia and the emergence of the Indo-Pacific Region as a link between India and the eastern rim of the Pacific offer new opportunities for the Russia-India partnership.

Impediments to India’s interest in the Far East

• Competition from China: By making large investments in the Far East, China has gained access to both land routes and water routes. It facilitates strong economic engagements with Russia and European markets as well as fuels its desire to hold an assertive posture in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Limited presence: India has had a very limited presence in the region. Before the EEF of 2019, the RFE figured marginally in Indo-Russian relations.
• Other players: The Far East poses a bigger challenge as India is not insulated from competition given the pro-active role of other extra-regional players. Ex:
• South Korea has invested in shipbuilding projects, the manufacturing of electrical equipment, gas-liquefying plants, agricultural production, and fisheries.
• Japan seeks to depend on Russian oil and gas resources after the 2011 meltdown in Fukushima. It also sees RFE as the market for its agro-technologies.

India may explore the possibility of investing in infrastructural projects such as having a Chahbahar port-like project in the Far East to gain leverage in the region and derive commercial as well as strategic benefits.