(MENAFN- The Arabian Post) By Nitya Chakraborty

In Chinese media, lot of interest is focused on the future of the US sponsored security bloc QUAD and what will be India's relations with it in the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's strained relations with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the last August 30 summit of the Indian PM with Chinese President Xi Jinping in China.

This sort of attention from China to the future of QUAD is expected as it is known that this bloc of four nations, USA, India, Japan and Australia are part of an Indo-Pacific strategy meant to challenge China in terms of maritime security. Its programme and consequent actions have been aimed at China. Naturally, the Chinese leaders are concerned at the consolidation of QUAD and they equally feel elated when the cracks appear.

The Chinese official media is now focusing on the political problems of India in becoming a part of QUAD and a part of the Asia-Pacific strategy of the USA. In an editorial on November 8, Global Times, the English language official daily of the Chinese Government said that the QUAD members might have shown military fervour in the recent days but there is a political coldness in their relationship due to conflicting political interests. In this context, India has been mentioned favourably.

GT editorial says QUAD faces significant obstacles in political coordination. For instance, the QUAD leaders' summit, the highest level political coordination mechanism, was originally scheduled for the end of the year in India but was postponed to early 2026apparently due to the recent tensions between New Delhi and Washington. GT says this not only undermines the continuity of strategic dialogue among the four countries but also reveals insufficient consensus among member states on braider issues.

According to the Chinese official line, since the beginning of this year, the Quad, the core mechanism of the Indo-Pacific strategy led by the US, has shown a clear sense of“military fervour” and“political coldness” in its cooperation focus, which has called into question the future of this minilateral bloc.

On the military front, security cooperation under the Quad framework has deepened into a regularized, multi-tiered system. In the first week of November, India hosted the“Cope India” joint air force exercise, with the United States as the core participant and Japan and Australia joining as observers. Meanwhile, Exercise Malabar 2025 brought together the navies of the four nations in Guam for one of the biggest Quad naval drills in the Pacific from October 28 to November 8.

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As the Global Times sees it, QUAD's current state of“strengthened military cooperation but weakened political coordination” stems from multiple structural contradictions.

First, the misalignment of strategic priorities. The differing geopolitical interests among Quad members create coordination challenges. India, for instance, has long adhered to the principle of“strategic autonomy,” maintaining a balanced approach with the US, Japan and Australia in security cooperation while preserving close ties with Russia. However, the US seeks to bind its allies within the Quad framework to align with its Indo-Pacific strategy. This tension between“balancing interests” and“dominant intentions” directly manifests in the volatility of India-US relations. When friction arises between India and the US on bilateral issues, the Quad's political agenda becomes the first to suffer.

Second, the dual dilemma of informality and flexibility. The Quad employs an“informal dialogue mechanism” without formal treaty constraints. While this flexibility initially fostered cooperation among the four nations during its early stages, its drawbacks have become increasingly apparent as strategic objectives evolved.

Third, there are diverging security priorities among Quad members toward China. The formation and development of the Quad in recent years were largely driven by external pressures such as shifting regional power dynamics, particularly the shared need to counter China's rise. As the situation evolves, differences in security concerns toward China have become apparent.

For instance, India's security focus remains centered on the China-India border dispute and its claim to the Indian Ocean. With the current thaw in China-India relations, New Delhi prefers to resolve bilateral tensions through engagement and dialogue rather than positioning the Quad as an anti-China alliance. While Australia prioritizes South China Sea shipping lanes and collaborates closely with the US on security matters, its economic reliance on resource exports to China makes it reluctant to maintain strained relations.

As per this Chinese view, military cooperation demonstrates greater operational feasibility and technical sophistication compared to political coordination. For instance, joint military exercises have clearly defined tactical objectives that can be progressively implemented through standardized processes such as joint training, equipment interoperability and personnel contact. In contrast, political coordination involves broader issues including economic interest distribution, multilateral relationship management, and strategic communication and compromise, which are far more complex and sensitive than military matters.

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This“military fervour and political coldness” reflects the Quad mechanism's lack of deep strategic consensus, with its cooperation largely driven by external pressure. As the Quad's dominant power, the US'“America First” policy inherently conflicts with the security framework it seeks to establish, which has become the key cause of the Quad's“limping” status.

GT then predicts, given the well-established nature of the US-Japan, US-Australia and AUKUS military alliances, among others, the Quad's long-term viability would be challenged if it relies solely on military cooperation without achieving tangible results in political and economic spheres. This could reduce it to a mere formality, with its limping status becoming the norm.

So, it seems from this GT editorial which is the official view of the Chinese Government that at the moment, India is politically cold to QUAD due to the differences over India-US trade issues. It is to be noted that GT has not predicted any long term dip in India –US relationship, its comment is limited to QUAD. There is no optimism expressed that India will continue to improve relations with China ignoring Trump. There is caution in its editorial. It only assesses the latest developments in India-US relations and its impact on QUAD.

The fact is that China is watching closely the Indian moves to Trump gestures., Narendra Modi has started the process of improving relations with China but he has not closed India's door to Trump. Indian PM is waiting for some concessions from Trump. The India-US relations may go back to normal even with the India-China relations improving. Chinese leaders as seasoned politicians know that. They will monitor every move of Narendra Modi and Trump in the coming days. (IPA Service )

The article China Sees Political Coldness In India's Dealing With Coming QUAD Summit appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

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