India's relations with its 'Quad' partners.
India appears to be moving towards a four-country defence and security axis -- ‘the Quad’ -- with the United States, Japan and Australia. The chiefs of the four countries' navies shared a panel in Delhi in January, with the discussion focusing on Chinese activities across a region that Washington now describes as the ‘Indo-Pacific’.
Russia will continue to be a key arms supplier to India even as Delhi deepens defence relations with Washington.
Former Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will likely become a special envoy to China.
Australia and Japan will sign an agreement for their militaries to conduct joint drills in each other’s countries.
Further US ‘freedom of navigation’ operations in the South China Sea would antagonise Beijing.
