First Quad Summit held on the 13th by video
US-Japan rising pressure level, “China can’t change”
Agree to hold a face-to-face summit within this year
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The four leaders of the United States, Japan, India and Australia held their first Quad summit on the 13th and announced that they will make the Indo-Pacific region “a region free and open, dominated by democratic values, and not bound by coercion.” . In addition to forming a democratic alliance aimed at China, the United States began to beat China in earnest, including additional sanctions on China’s high-tech communications equipment maker Huawei. The conflict between the United States and China, which sank below the initial surface of the Joe Biden administration, is expected to intensify in earnest, as China immediately opposes US sanctions.
US President Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a joint statement after the first summit meeting on video that night (Korean time), “We are “We support freedom, peaceful settlement of disputes, democratic values, and maintenance of the status quo in the territory.”
The US and Japan have raised the level of pressure against China. In a public remark at the conference, President Biden said, “We are renewing our commitment to ensuring that our region (Indo-Pacific) is governed by international law, is committed to maintaining universal values, and is free from coercion.” It aimed directly at China, which is being criticized for the suppression of the human rights of minorities such as Xinjiang Uyghur and the inhibition of democratization in Hong Kong. After the meeting, Prime Minister Suga met with reporters and said in person, “he made a strong voice against China’s unilateral attempt to change the situation in the surrounding waters.”
At a closed meeting, it is predicted that the issue of pressure on China would have been intensively discussed. Ahead of the Quad Summit, the US revised its export approval clause, limiting the supply of items that could be used in Huawei’s 5G devices. The Nippon Geizai Shimbun reported on the 12th that China will confirm the need to diversify the supply chain among the four quad countries in relation to rare earths, which account for 60% of the market share.
In addition, the leaders of the four countries said they have agreed to cooperate to distribute the vaccine for Corona 19 (new coronavirus infection) to developing countries. Considering the fact that China is conducting “vaccine diplomacy” against developing countries through Sinoparm, a vaccine produced in Korea, it is interpreted as part of a strategy to isolate China.
The leaders of the four countries are in the position that they will hold a face-to-face summit within this year. In addition, it agreed to develop the Quad into a solid alliance by regularizing meetings between experts and high-ranking officials and holding meetings with foreign ministers at least once a year.
/ Reporter Kim In-yeop [email protected]
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