The leaders of Australia, India, the United States and Japan decided their countries to strengthen common security measures in the waters around Asia. This happened at their summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (“Quad“), initiated due to growing concerns regarding China, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Biden, who received in his home state of Delaware the prime ministers of Japan, India and Australia, Fumio Kishida, Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese, emphasized the importance of the “Quad“ format, which he considers one of his main foreign policy achievements. He will step down in January after the US presidential election on November 5.
The leaders announced joint operations by their countries' coast guards next year, which will include the presence of Australian, Indian and Japanese personnel on board a US Coast Guard vessel. The countries plan to strengthen cooperation in military logistics, official sources said. They did not comment on exactly where the joint Coast Guard activity will develop.
Although the White House assures that the meeting of the “Quad“ is not directed against any country and that Beijing should not see the initiative as a problem, Biden began the group's meeting by talking specifically about China. In a joint statement after the meeting, which did not specifically mention the Chinese leadership, the leaders condemned the “intimidating and disturbing maneuvers in the South China Sea”.
According to analysts, the new naval initiatives should send a message to Beijing and represent a further shift in the activities of the “Quad” to security, reflecting growing concerns about China's intentions, Reuters notes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping previously defined the actions of “Quad“ as efforts to encircle his country aimed at conflict.
Biden said at yesterday's meeting that Beijing is changing tactics, but not strategy, as it continues to challenge the US in the South and East China Seas, as well as in the Taiwan Strait.
The joint statement after the meeting included harsh comments about North Korea, condemning its ballistic missile launches and “malign activity in cyberspace”. A US official said the leaders shared concerns about Russian military aid to Pyongyang.
According to analysts and officials cited by Reuters, the meeting of the “Quad“ is part of an effort to institutionalize the organization ahead of Biden's departure from office, as well as that of Kishida, who steps down next week.
Albanese called “really important“ the Coast Guard's “Quad” plan, in which “the four nations will improve interoperability and cooperation,” according to transcripts of the leaders' press conference.
Prior to the meeting, the Australian Prime Minister met with Biden at his home and the two discussed bilateral cooperation in the fields of security and defense, including in the Indo-Pacific region.