Amid China’s growing aggression, an important meeting of the top leaders of the ‘Quad’ was held in the US, in which the member countries presented major steps to increase maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region as well as called for lasting peace in Ukraine. Let us tell you that the ‘Quad’ summit was hosted by US President Joe Biden in his hometown of Wilmington in Delaware, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida participated. Without directly naming China, the Quad leaders expressed serious concern over the situation in the South China Sea and its surrounding waters and condemned the “dangerous” use of coast guard and maritime militia ships in that area. In view of shared concerns over China’s growing aggression in the Indo-Pacific region, the Quad leaders strongly opposed any “unilateral” action that tries to change the status quo by force.
In a joint statement, the Quad leaders said, “We want a region where no country dominates and is not dominated by any country, where all countries are free from any kind of coercive action, and can exercise their agency to determine their future.” Prime Minister Modi said at the Quad summit, “An independent, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific is our priority.” Modi said, “The Quad leaders have gathered at a time when the whole world is surrounded by tension and conflict. At such a time, the Quad working together with its democratic values is important for the entire humanity.” He said, “We are not against anyone. We are all in favor of a rule-based international order, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolving all issues in a peaceful manner.”
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In a joint statement, the leaders announced a number of ambitious initiatives in areas ranging from maritime security, infrastructure to emerging technologies and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Let us tell you that a major outcome of the summit was the decision related to the joint coast guard operation, under which the first ‘Quad-at-Sea’ ship observer mission will be launched in 2025 to enhance maritime security and continue other operations in the Indo-Pacific region in the future. The leaders also announced a new Regional Maritime Initiative (Maitri) for training in the Indo-Pacific to enable partners to make the most of the tools provided through the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) and other Quad initiatives. Its purpose is to monitor and protect the water area, enforce laws and prevent illegal behavior.
Let us remind you that the IPMDA was announced in May 2022, which allows partner countries to fully monitor the waters off their coasts and help ensure peace and stability in the region. The Quad leaders said, “We look forward to holding the first ‘Maitri’ workshop hosted by India in 2025. In addition, we welcome the launch of the ‘Quad’ maritime legal dialogue to support efforts to maintain a rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific region. He said that the Quad partners are keen to add new technology and data to the IPMDA in the coming year to continue providing cutting-edge capabilities and information to the region.
The Quad leaders expressed “deep concern” over the ongoing war in Ukraine. In the joint statement, the leaders said, “Each of us has visited Ukraine since the war began, and seen it firsthand. We reiterate the need for lasting peace, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, in accordance with international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.”
As far as China’s irritation with the Quad meeting is concerned, let us tell you that China’s state media on Sunday accused the Quad of adopting a ‘divide and rule’ strategy to create differences between Beijing and its neighbors. The allegation was made a day after the four-member group decided to expand the Indo-Pacific Partnership at a summit. China’s state media said that the conference focused on the strategy to contain China. Although China’s Foreign Ministry has not yet reacted to the summit, Hong Kong’s ‘South China Morning Post’ said in its report that “in any sense, the Quad summit marks a significant change for the framework of the four countries during its 17-year history.” The editorial in the state-run newspaper ‘China Daily’ said, “The Biden administration made great efforts to explain how the Quad has met the priorities of its partners in the ‘Indo-Pacific’ region.”
The editorial said, “Although there is no mention of China in the joint statement of the four leaders or the summit fact sheet, China was mentioned at least 20 times in the half-hour press conference held by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan after the conclusion of the summit.” It said, “Although the US blames China for the increasing tension in the Asia-Pacific region, all the regional countries, including the other three members of the Quad, know very well that the main reason for this is the implementation of the strategy of ‘divide and rule’ by the US in the region, under which it is taking every possible measure to create differences between China and its neighbors. “It said that in this process, Washington has realized that the Quad cannot add the other three member countries to itself nor can it attract other regional countries, as all of them have close and extensive trade, economic and cultural ties with China.
Let us also tell you that US President Joe Biden made some informal remarks about China in the Quad meeting but he did not know that the mic was on. However, his remarks proved how serious America is about the emerging challenge of China. Biden informally said that China is testing the Quad countries. He said that China is constantly behaving “aggressively and is testing us across the region on many fronts, including economic and technology issues.” He said, “At the same time, we believe that intense competition requires intense diplomacy.” He made this comment in an informal conversation with the Quad leaders on Saturday, which was recorded in the media mic. Biden’s remarks reflect America’s seriousness about the emerging “threat” of China.
