First summit in the’China Containment’ Quad… Biden “Dedicated to Cooperation with Quad” (Comprehensive)

‘Quad’, known as the US, Japan, India, and Australia checklist against China, held its first summit on the 12th (local time).

Leaders of the four countries, including US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, started the summit on a video clip.

According to Reuters, President Joe Biden in his public remarks emphasized that a free and open Indo-Pacific is essential and that “the United States is committed to cooperation with the quad alliance for stability in the region.”

After the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, the quad, which was formed to cope with the tsunami, went ups and downs, and since it was reorganized in 2017, meetings at the level of working-level and foreign ministers have been held several times, but this is the first time that the quad leaders have been face-to-face with video. The summit was held less than a month after the video conference of the foreign ministers last month.

In particular, amid the rapid growth of China’s economic and military power and threatening neighboring countries, Quad is focusing on strengthening its status and role as a consultative body to prevent China’s expansion and expansion of China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region even after the Biden administration.

It is known that the leaders of the quad participants will discuss various issues with China in mind in the new coronavirus infection, climate change, cybersecurity, and economy.

According to a foreign press, a senior US administration official said in a press briefing the day before, citing regional challenges to free and open trade and commerce, “I think there will be an honest debate about China’s role in the global arena.”

After the quad meeting, the leaders will announce plans to expand the production capacity of India’s novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) vaccine.

US officials said Quad’s efforts are expected to increase India’s vaccine production capacity to 1 billion doses (one dose) by 2022.

This is an evaluation that is aimed at preventing China from supplying its own synovac vaccine to developing countries and expanding its influence in the international community through the use of the vaccine. India has been calling for measures to respond to China’s’vaccine diplomacy’.

US officials said the added vaccine production capacity will be used for vaccination efforts in Southeast Asia.

Reuters said that the global supply chain, which was revealed to be heavily dependent on China during the pandemic, is also a challenge to be dealt with.

President Biden already issued an executive order last month ordering a 100-day review of the supply chain of semiconductors, electric vehicle batteries, rare earths, and pharmaceuticals, which was evaluated for the purpose of reducing dependence on China.

Japan’s Nippon Geizai Shimbun predicted that the four quad countries are working on a plan to secure rare earths stably in order not to be swayed by China.

It is reported that 5G and cyber security issues were also included in the discussion topics of the Quad Summit.

During the Donald Trump administration, the U.S. imposed various restrictions on Huawei, a telecommunications equipment company, because the spread of 5G equipment made in China threatens the national security of the United States.

In particular, the Biden administration also imposed new restrictions on some of Huawei’s suppliers, resulting in an interpretation that it fired a flare to succeed and strengthen its anti-Huawei policy.

In addition, a recent hacking attack targeting Microsoft’s e-mail software has damaged tens of thousands of US institutions and companies, and there have been reports that the attacker is a Chinese hacker organization called’Hafnium’.

The Associated Press said, “This summit was held with the Biden administration putting more emphasis on the Indo-Pacific region in the face of growing economic competition in China.”

Bloomberg reported that the three countries except the United States are wary of being pulled by the United States as a pure anti-Chinese block given their trade relations with China, and said President Biden, taking this into account, is avoiding direct anti-Chinese messages.

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