Supporting India’s decision to formally invite Australia to participate in the annual Exercise Malabar, a group of US Senators said that in the face of China’s rising military and economic assertiveness, strengthening of the Quad has become important.
In a letter to Indian Ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the Senators said, “In the face of China’s rising military and economic assertiveness, strengthening of the Quad has become increasingly important. As the world addresses the fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, China has opportunistically looked to expand its military footprint across the Indo- Pacific…In response to these malign actions, the US has signalled its increased commitment to the region with the newly proposed Pacific Deterrence Initiative, which will complement the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA) to provide a more robust military presence. However, without coordinated efforts among committed and capable partners, solitary actions…