730: The Quad, bright light in East Asia, may endure under Biden. Sadanand Dhume @dhume, @AEI, @wsj
Image: Ladakh: Hemis Monastery in the 1870s. Sadanand Dhume, @dhume, @AEI, @wsj; AEI & WSJ; in re: The Quad—Japan, Australia, India, US; the political will and diplomatic skill of Pres Biden will determine how this works out. Certainly credit to Pres Trump for strengthening it. Abi, Modhi and Trump have all taken a pro-active stand. How will they approach China in future? Potential weak link may be Japan because Abe has moved on. Ladakh. We cannot trust China to become more democratic as it becomes richer; it's a competitor, and the only [language] it understands is power. If Biden understands this, all will go well; if not, we’re in for a rocky ride. Indian view of Afghanistan: last time a nation left Afgh quickly, the blowback was felt acutely by Indians in Kashmir. China has signed an economic pact, RCEP, with a dozen-plus other Asian nations, not including India; danger that it may be locked out of Asian markets.