Published 11:13 IST, February 7th 2021
Beijing listening? US' new Biden govt plans to bring QUAD leaders together, circle China
Under the Biden govt, the US, India, Japan, and Australia, are working to arrange the first meeting of their leaders amid China's growing clout in the region
The United States, India, Japan, and Australia, who are the members of the QUAD, are working together to arrange the first meeting of their leaders amidst China's growing influence, as the Japan Times reports.
This comes as the new US President Joe Biden's administration appears interested in building on the renewed attention to the grouping of the four major Indo-Pacific democracies, with national security adviser Jake Sullivan calling it "a foundation upon which to build substantial American policy in the Indo-Pacific", reported the daily quoting a source. The source also said that the US has already proposed to other countries the idea of holding an online meeting of the Quad leaders.
The Quad members are expected to discuss cooperation for the realization of a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" amid concerns over China's maritime assertiveness in the region.
READ | China Flags Taiwan As Core Issue, Asks US To Rectify 'mistakes' Of Trump Admin's Aggressive Policies
Pompeo Urges QUAD Countries To Hit Back At China's Threat
In October, last year, after the Quad countries met for the second edition of the Ministerial meeting in Tokyo, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had hit out at China over its "bad behavior," claiming that the Communist nation had aligned 60,000 soldiers along the LAC border. "The Indians are seeing 60,000 Chinese soldiers on their northern border," Mike Pompeo told had said adding that all four countries were witnessing China-associated risks and threats in different ways. Urging cooperation between the Quad members, Pompeo had said that the countries had 'seen it all' and had 'slept' on the threats for way too long, allowing the CCP to walk all over them. "I was with my Foreign Minister counterparts from India, Australia, and Japan - a format that we call the Quad, four big democracies, four powerful economies, four nations, each of whom has real risk associated with the threats imposed attempting to be imposed by the Chinese Communist Party. And they see it in their home countries too," he had said.
That, however, was the old US administration led by Donald Trump which was simultaneously accused of at least partially lashing out of China for election reasons, given the US being the country worst-hit by the Coronavirus pandemic. The Biden administration's moves are likely to grab Beijing's attention in a most serious and concerted manner.
(With ANI Inputs)
Updated 11:13 IST, February 7th 2021