The first meeting of the Cabinet ministers under Biden’s administration took place last week.
Washington:
The Biden administration sees Quad – an unofficial grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the US – as having “substantial momentum and significant potential”, a senior official said.
Quad aims to provide a free and open Indo-Pacific, a region that has witnessed growing Chinese military perseverance in recent years.
“We see the Quad as having substantial momentum and significant potential. So we will build on it by deepening cooperation in areas with a traditional focus,” State Department spokeswoman Ned Price told reporters Monday, days after the meeting. Quad’s first ministerial administration under Biden was held last week.
“It is an example of the United States and some of our closest partners coming together for the good of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he said.
The evolving situation in the Indo-Pacific region, following the rise of China’s military muscle flexion, has become a major point to talk about among major global powers. The US has favored the Quad becoming a security architecture to control China’s growing claim.
Deepening cooperation in areas of traditional focus areas includes maritime security, while also working closely with Quad partners to meet some of the defining challenges and even opportunities of “our time,” said Ned Price, adding that it includes COVID- 19, climate change and democratic sustainability.
“Of course, (Secretary of State Tony) Blinken had the opportunity last week to be talking to his fourth counterpart for the first time. I doubt you will see Secretary Blinken continuing to do so in the weeks and months forward, given the central role of the Quad moving forward, “he said.
Responding to a comment made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Ned Price said he was reflecting on a continuing pattern of Beijing’s tendency to avoid blame for its predatory economic practices, lack of transparency, non-compliance with international agreements and repression. of universal human rights.
In his annual address to the Lanting Forum, focusing on China-US ties Monday, Wang urged the US to stop “tarnishing” the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) in power and the system. its one-party policy, lift trade sanctions to stop Washington’s support for “separatist forces” in Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
“We will continue to stand for our democratic values when human rights are violated in Xinjiang, Tibet or elsewhere in China or when autonomy is being violated in Hong Kong,” Ned Price said.
The Biden administration, he said, will approach China through the prism of competition from a strength position and work closely with allies and partners across the board.
“This is exactly what we are doing with Quad. Precisely it is exactly what we are doing with our allies and partners in Europe. Precisely it is exactly what we are doing with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific to get closer to China from a position of strength, “affirmed the Price.
During the third Minister of Personnel and the first administration under the Biden administration held practically on 18 February, Secretary of State S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Japanese Toshimitsu Motegi reiterated the vision of their common to an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
They highlighted their common attributes like political democracies, market economies and pluralistic societies.
“They acknowledged that emerging change in the world makes it a strong issue for their countries working closely together. It was important for the international community that the direction of change remains positive and beneficial for all,” Foreign Affairs in a reading of the Minister of Personnel.
During the meeting, the ministers stressed their commitment to upholding a rule-based international order, supported by respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, the rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in international seas and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
“Their productive exchange of views on regional issues included a reiteration of their shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, with clear support for ASEAN cohesion and centrality. It was noted that the Indo-Pacific concept “Pacific had gathered growing international support, including in Europe,” the reading said.
China is engaged in heated territorial disputes in the seas of South and East China. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarizing its man-made islands in recent years.
Beijing claims sovereignty over the entire South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims. In the East China Sea, China has territorial disputes with Japan.
The South China Sea and the East China Sea are said to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources.
They are also vital to global trade. Although the U.S. does not claim disputed waters, it has challenged China’s growing territorial claims in the South China Sea by deploying warships and fighter jets to assert freedom of navigation and flight patrols in the strategically vital region.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and was published by a shared source.)
