S Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister of India, has expressed his disagreement with the idea of the QUAD countries being solely focused on China. He stated that the QUAD countries, including the US, Japan, India, and Australia, have their own identity and interests beyond China and that they see benefits in working together. He called for reforms in the UN Security Council and said that after 80 years of its formation, the world is entitled to pass the verdict on the UN.
The foreign minister also said that the US, Japan, India and Australia have their own identity and interests and they see benefits in working together.
“You cannot say the US Japan, India and Australia exist, because there’s a China problem. Each one of them has their own identity, their own interests, they see benefits in working together,” he further said.
S Jaishankar emphasized that the QUAD countries have their own individual identities and interests, beyond just addressing concerns related to China. He believes that the QUAD is more than just a grouping focused on addressing China-related issues and that the countries involved see benefits in collaborating on a range of issues.
The 18th round of corps commander-level talks between India and China was held on April 9, 2021, in an effort to resolve the ongoing standoff in the Eastern Ladakh region. The talks were held following a disengagement agreement between the two sides in February 2021, which aimed to reduce tensions and establish peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The discussions focused on further disengagement and de-escalation of troops from the remaining friction points in the region. However, the details of the talks have not been made public yet.
