US Urged India to Discourage Japan's Push for Quad Alliance Due to China Policy Needs
• US asked India's PM Singh to tell Japan's PM not to push the Quad alliance due to needing China's support on Iran and North Korea issues
• Origins of Quad lie in 2004 tsunami response coordination group between the 4 countries
• Efforts were made to institutionalize Quad alliance in 2006-2007 under Japan's PM Abe
• Quad went into cold storage after protests from China, but revived in 2017 given China's assertiveness
• China, which once dismissed Quad as inconsequential, likely takes it more seriously now given its substance