The United States, Japan, Australia and India met to discuss shared interests. Joe Biden is reviving the strategic dialogue aimed at China. For Beijing, Taiwan is the "most important and delicate" issue in its relationship with Washington. Quad countries plan joint naval exercises off the coast of Guam.
Washington (AsiaNews) – The United States, Japan, India and Australia are preparing the second Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) summit focusing on peace and security in the Taiwan Strait and naval cooperation in the South China and East China Seas.
Without being explicitly named, China is the clear target of what might become a possible “Asian NATO”.
In their virtual meeting, officials from the four countries also talked about cybersecurity, disaster relief, the fight against the pandemic, the crisis in Myanmar and North Korea. Quad leaders plan to hold their first in-person by the end of the year.
Boosting the Quad is a cornerstone of Joe Biden's strategy to contain the growth of Chinese power in the Indo-Pacific region.
To varying degrees, all four parties to the dialogue have disagreements with Beijing: Washington is engaged in an all-out geopolitical confrontation with the Asian giant; Tokyo has territorial disputes in the East China Sea; Canberra is involved in a trade war; and Delhi has constant skirmishes with the Chinese along the Himalayan border.
Taiwan is the thorniest dossier. On 4 August, the US State Department decided to okay the sale of 40 howitzer artillery systems to Taiwan in a 0 million deal, further shaking a frd bilateral relationship.
For China, the Biden administration's decision is an interference in its "internal" affairs; therefore, it will take appropriate “countermeasures”. Yesterday, seven Chinese military aircraft flew near Taiwanese airspace.
China’s new ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, told US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman that Taiwan is the "most important and delicate" issue in US-Sino relations.
For their part, the Quad group are planning joint naval exercises off Guam in the western Pacific later this month. The simulations are part of the annual Malabar drill.
French and British warships now deployed in East Asia will also take part in bilateral and multilateral exercises with their US, Japanese, Australian and Indian counterparts.