Vegan “Quad expansion is premature” … Wait “No free ride in safety”

The Secretary of State of the United States, Stephen Vegan. [AP=연합뉴스]

US Secretary of State Stephen Vegan said on the 20th (local time): “It is premature to talk about the expansion of the ‘Quad’, including Korea.” It is a step back from the idea of ​​promoting expansion to ‘Quad Plus’ by making the existing Quad, an anti-Chinese collective security organization, as an anti-China collective security organization, which is an anti-Chinese security council. for the United States, Japan, India and Australia. .

Instead, Defense Minister Mark Esper said: “There can be no horsemen in our common security.”

When asked if the South Korean government offered to participate in the ‘Quad Plus’ in a conference call with foreign journalists on the same day, Vice Minister Vegan denied that “there is no planned policy to expand US-supported quads.” “The quad itself is still an undefined entity, so it is too early to talk about the quad expansion problem,” he said.

Instead, he said: “Our position is that the quad should become more regular and more formal at some point,” he said. “We welcome cooperation with any country in the region to protect the free and open Indo-Pacific that guarantees the sovereignty and prosperity of its members.” Yes, “he said, leaving room for expansion.

“There are many coalitions in India and the Pacific that will strengthen and expand cooperation,” he said. “The United States has mutual defense agreements with partners like Japan, Korea, Australia, and Thailand.”

Previously, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also attended the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting held in Tokyo, Japan, on the 6th. I have to leave, ”he pressed to join.

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper attended the Washington Think Tank Atlantic Council conference on the 20th and lobbied for increased defense cost sharing, saying, “ There can be no profit in our common security. ” .[미국 국방부]

Defense Minister Esper also called on the allies to increase their share of defense costs and cooperate in the confrontation with China at a conference organized by the Atlantic Council think tank on the 20th.

“I will continue to push allies to improve preparedness, increase defense engagement, and solve common challenges,” Esper said. “We also want the alliances to stand side by side and cooperate in fighting the evils of China and the invasion of Russia. I hope so.” He stressed that “there can be no profit on our common security.

Reporter Jeong Hyo-sik [email protected]