WASHINGTON: Proving that the resurgence of your “quad” predecessor, a grouping of four nations, including India, Japan and Australia, with the goal of countering Beijing, is here to stay, US President. Joe biden he told a virtual meeting of his leaders on Friday that he will work with them to ensure stability in the region in the face of Chinese coercion.
“A free and open Indo-Pacific it is fundamental for each of our futures, our countries. This is a particularly important group because it is dedicated to practical solutions and concrete results, “Biden told his counterparts from the other three countries at the Quad’s first conclave of leaders, amid continued concern over China’s depredations in the region.
“We know our commitments … Our region is governed by international law, is committed to all universal values and is free from coercion, but I am optimistic about our outlook,” Biden added without explicitly mentioning China, whose belligerent rise has caused unrest. between their countries. more peaceful neighbors.
The idea for the quad was first brought up in 2007 by then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but gained traction and weight only in 2017, after Australia bailed out for a few years before meeting, with President Trump pitching it as a security agreement in the face of growing Chinese belligerence. By holding the virtual summit one of his first multilateral foreign policy milestones, Biden has shown that he is not going to ditch all the initiatives of his predecessor.
The US President indicated at the same time that the Quad alliance was not just a security deal, but would address a wide range of issues with the war on Covid clearly at the top of his mind.
Ahead of the meeting, US officials said the alliance would launch an ambitious new joint partnership that will advance vaccine manufacturing and global benefits, strengthening vaccines to benefit the entire Indo-Pacific. “The United States, working closely with India and Japan, has put together complex financing vehicles that will enable a very substantial, frankly dramatic increase in vaccine capacity, up to 1 billion by 2022,” said a senior administration official. in a briefing with journalists.
Biden has said the United States will share any surplus with the rest of the world amid unrest in many countries that Washington and other rich nations are hoarding supplies.
“It’s great to see you,” Biden told Prime Minister Modi of India, a vital cog in the fight against Covid who pumps out vaccines, syringes and other equipment.
Biden’s convening of the virtual summit followed a similar meeting of foreign ministers from Quad countries on February 18 during which they pledged to uphold a rules-based international order backed by respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, freedom of navigation and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
.
