As the Quad continued to solidify and the scope of its activities expanded, entering into a series of new bilateral and multilateral security agreements and exercises, Beijing’s confidence that the Quad could be split apart waned. China seemed not to have fully comprehended the impact of their actions in accelerating overall Quad solidarity. Moreover, China’s ability to execute a coherent strategy of simultaneous targeted escalation with Australia and de-escalation with Japan and India was badly undermined by the lack of discipline of its ultranationalistic wolf warrior diplomats, who
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