Quad vs BRICS: Two rivals compete to woo India
Washington (US), June 14: Two rivals, Quad and BRICS, are competing against each other as they find India one of its key members among the countries.
BRICS brings together ministers from Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and India; and its leaders see India as the key member for the obvious reason of countering China.
Tokyo, meanwhile, just hosted the "Quad." It is quite an accomplishment that the leaders of Japan, the United States, India, and Australia met at all, especially because one of the key members, India, is taking a stance on Russia's assault on Ukraine that is so different from the others.
India abstained from voting on the UN Security Council resolution over the Ukraine conflict.
Notably, the Quad is a rival to BRICS, which has brought together ministers from Brazil, Russia, India, and China since 2006 and added South Africa in 2011.
According to Asia Times, the BRICS summits, at first, appeared to symbolise the growing importance of these big emerging economies, also reflecting the fact that the idea of "the BRICS" was originally created by a British chief economist at the American investment bank Goldman Sachs as an intellectual piece of marketing.
This year, BRICS will be held by China.
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The BRICS summits seem almost technical in nature when compared to the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. Shinzo Abe initiated the Quad in 2007 with the goal of influencing or reshaping the grand stage of geopolitics by using joint military exercises between the four countries to underline the Quad's role as a counterweight to China's expanding presence in the Indo-Pacific.
It should be noted that India is a member of both the Quad and BRICS groups.
Even though the BRICS grouping is largely ignored by the international media, the annual programme of BRICS ministerial meetings and other events demonstrates that - although it is largely ignored by the international media, it has established a strong habit and requirement of consultation and collaboration among the five member countries.
For obvious reasons, Japan, the United States, and Australia consider India as a critical member to counter China. While India recognises the need to counter or deter China, it also sees the importance of intensive consultation with China under the BRICS framework, according to Asia Times.
And, as has been widely reported since Russia's February 24 operation in Ukraine, India remains reliant on Russia, China's "strategic partner," for military supplies and technology, and has refused to join any sanctions or condemnations of Russia's actions.
In addition, a joint declaration issued by Russia and China in February outlining their strategic alliance mentions a goal of expanding cooperation between the two countries and India.
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-PTC News
