WP “Quad will be the center of the US Asian strategy”

During the Biden administration’s first Quad summit, the Washington Post (WP) announced on the 13th (local time) that “Quad will be the center of the US’s Asian strategy.” The Quad is a security conference in which four countries, including the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, participate, and was created to contain China.

U.S. President Joe Biden (left) participates in a video-based Quad summit with Tony Blingen (second from left) at the White House on the 12th (local time). From the left of the screen, Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. [AFP=연합뉴스]

On the 13th (local time) of the video summit held the day before, the WP said, “The launch of the first ever summit in the early days of the Biden administration signals that the Quad will become a central part of the US’s Asian strategy, experts say.” “A new group of like-minded countries has come to the international stage.”

“Experts say that building a partnership between the four countries will be crucial to Biden’s strategy to maintain a strong attitude toward China.”

Of course, the leaders of the four countries did not directly mention China in a joint statement released after the meeting.

However, Derek Grossman, a defense analyst at the Rand Institute, explained that “the fundamental message is that each country has a will and determination to cooperate with China even if they do not mention China in a statement. In fact, the intention is that the quad will be used as a check against China.

US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued a joint statement entitled’Quad Spirit’ shortly after the meeting. The five-item statement includes: ▶Promoting security in the Indo-Pacific region ▶Protecting the rule of law and democratic values ​​▶Responding to the economic and health impact of Corona 19 ▶Promoting cooperation in international standards and innovative technologies in the future ▶North Korea’s commitment to complete denuclearization, etc. Included.

On October 6, last year, a meeting of diplomatic ministers of Quad, a security council consisting of four countries, including the United States, Japan, Australia and India, was held in Tokyo, Japan. [로이터=뉴스1]

Regarding Myanmar, he said, “As long-time supporters of Myanmar and its people, we emphasize that the restoration of democracy is urgently needed.” Regarding the North Korean issue, “we reaffirm our commitment to complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with the resolution of the UN Security Council”. Face-to-face summit meetings will also be held within this year.

“We are renewing our commitment to ensuring that our region is governed by international law, committed to maintaining universal values, and free from coercion,” President Biden said in a speech at the conference. He also emphasized on his Facebook page that he will “work passionately to solve the common task and secure a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”

However, questions remain as to whether the four quad countries can maintain a solid front. The weak link is India. The WP predicted that “India’s position will be a key factor in determining the future of Quad” over India, which has always advocated non-alignment neutralism, unlike US allies Japan and Australia.

As Quad has been upgraded to the summit level, the Korean government’s hardship to pay attention to relations with both the US and China is growing.

Qing Xiaohe, a professor at the Academy of International Relations at People’s University of China, publicly warned the Global Times, a Chinese state media, that “joining the quad will inevitably undermine the strategic mutual trust that China and Korea have just recovered.” On the 17th, US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln is scheduled to visit Korea. It is predicted that Secretary of State Blincoln will demand participation in Chinese sanctions through a 2+2 (diplomatic and defense minister) meeting with Defense Minister Lloyd Austin.

Reporter Kim Hong-beom [email protected]