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Narendra Modi’s first meeting with the new US president, Joe Biden, opens great opportunities for India in south Asian politics. Both talk Afghanistan, which indicates new alignments, new power equations and new thought processes in international diplomacy. The threat of China now seems to precede the threat of global terrorism and that India, and not Pakistan, can, according to American perception, tackle this new threat.

The Indian Prime Minister meets the US President as a member of the ‘Quad’ team – the four-nation formation (the US, India, Japan, and Australia) primarily coming together to tackle the predominance of China. But India it seems is not willing to allow this platform to be used militarily against China. Hence the discussions on the progress of global vaccination, climate change and trade. Apparently, this is a wise step by India, though China has already described this formation as the ‘Asian NATO’.

India has a very long border with China. The recent aggressive stand taken by China along the border appeared quite ominous. Fortunately, India could achieve to keep off actual battle through bilateral discussions – but at a cost. Death of 20 jawans in border skirmishes had raised an alarm. However, in the eventuality of an actual war with China, India knows well she will need American support. In that way, the Quad formation is important. However, since India was unwilling to transform this treaty into a full-fledged military pact, other members had to relent. But the sudden formation of the new platform ‘Aukus’ between the US, the UK and Australia, some say, has somewhat weakened the significance of the Quad. This treaty is purely military, and it serves the purpose of both Australia, where China is trying to build a stronghold, and of course the US, which still wants the world to remain unipolar, since the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

While Aukus will serve the purpose of the US to control China militarily with its natural ally the UK, along with Australia, which usually follows the UK policies because its Commonwealth ties, it is good for India that the US is still trying to keep India in good humour. Both the President and the Vice President gave Narendra Modi a patient hearing, though Kamala Harris made it a point to ‘give a lecture’ to the prime minister, which is quite unheard of in the usual protocol.

During his recent visit to the US, Mr. Modi, apart from his talks with the US President, addressed the American senate quite confidently while receiving a standing ovation. He managed to sign the Quad Vaccine Partnership which is to fund an expansion of the vaccine plant of Biological E Ltd in Hyderabad. The Modi loyalists are unhappy that the world media is not adequately projecting the fact that India’s vaccine roll-out has ‘rescued the world from the pandemic’.

IT is true that after the disaster of the second wave of the pandemic, India has recovered remarkably both in containing the so called ‘third wave’ and in ramping up the production of vaccines. On the birthday of Narendra Modi, official figures indicate that vaccination programme touched one crore a day. If that is true, critics say, why can’t the system hold on to the figure for a longer period?

However, the increased production of vaccines can fetch India a lot of goodwill globally. The stand taken by India in Quad platform may raise questions about the country’s border security with China. But the inclusion of the vaccine diplomacy in the Quad programme may be in the long run a good decision of the Indian foreign policy strategists.