Quad warns against status quo change, aims to counter China

Quad warns against status quo change, aims to counter China
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New Delhi The Quad on Tuesday unveiled several initiatives to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific, including a partnership to monitor regional waters and plans to provide $50 billion in infrastructure assistance, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the group’s constructive agenda will strengthen its image as a force for the good.

Modi joined his Australian and Japanese counterparts, Anthony Albanese and Fumio Kishida, and US President Joe Biden for the second in-person summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, in Tokyo, at which the leaders renewed their “steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient”.

“We strongly oppose any coercive, provocative or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo and increase tensions in the area, such as the militarisation of disputed features, the dangerous use of coast guard vessels and maritime militia, and efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities,” said a joint statement issued after the meeting, in a direct message to China.

None of the Quad leaders spoke about China’s aggressive actions in their televised opening remarks, though it was clear most of the new initiatives launched at the summit – including the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), the move to bridge infrastructure gaps and a collective approach to enhanced cybersecurity – were aimed at positioning the grouping as an effective counterweight to Beijing’s efforts to increase its influence.

“The Quad is moving forward with a constructive agenda for the Indo-Pacific region. This will continue to strengthen the image of the Quad as a force for good,” Modi said in his opening remarks, speaking in Hindi.

The Quad has carved an important place for itself on the global stage in a very short time, and the group’s scope has increased and it is more influential, he said. “Our mutual trust (and) our determination are giving democratic forces a new energy and enthusiasm,” Modi added.

A free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific remains a “shared objective” and Quad partners have increased coordination in areas such as vaccine delivery, climate action, supply chain resilience, disaster response and economic cooperation despite the difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, he noted. “This is ensuring peace, prosperity, and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Modi said.

When foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra was asked whether China’s actions had figured at the Quad Summit, he said the discussions of the four leaders had a “constructive and forward-leaning cooperative agenda”. The leaders also discussed challenges and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific, and cooperation between Quad partners and regional countries to ensure at peace, stability and prosperity in the region, he added.

As the Quad Summit was underway in Tokyo, Chinese and Russian combat jets carried out joint flights near Japan – a move Japanese defence minister Nobuo Kishi described as “provocative”. This was the fourth time since November that long-distance joint flights by Russia and China were spotted near Japan, and the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

Chinese H-6K bombers and Russian Tu-95 bombers flew over the Sea of Japan, East China Sea and West Pacific, officials said. Kishi said the Japanese government conveyed its “grave concerns” to Russia and China over the flights.

During the Quad Summit, the leaders launched the IPMDA that will work with regional partners to respond to humanitarian and natural disasters and combat illegal fishing. IPMDA will work with regional information fusion centres in the Indian Ocean, south-east Asia and the Pacific Islands to support enhanced and shared maritime domain awareness to promote stability and prosperity.

The Indian Navy’s information fusion centre in Gurugram will be a key part of IPMDA, which will allow tracking of “dark shipping” and improve the ability of countries to protect their fish stocks. China’s extensive fishing fleet has faced numerous accusations of illegal and over fishing across the Indo-Pacific and IPMDA is aimed at curbing this phenomenon, people familiar with the matter said.

The Quad said the grouping will seek to extend more than $50 billion in infrastructure assistance and investment in the Indo-Pacific over the next five years to bridge infrastructure gaps. It will also work to strengthen capacities of countries in need to cope with debt issues under the G20 Common Framework and by promoting “debt sustainability and transparency”.

These moves appeared to be aimed at China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that has often faced accusations of creating debt traps and building up infrastructure that isn’t sustainable.

The Quad leaders also announced the establishment of the Quad partnership on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) in the Indo-Pacific, which will strengthen efforts to respond to disasters.

As part of a collective approach to enhanced cybersecurity, the Quad leaders said they will improve the defence of their critical infrastructure by sharing threat information, identifying potential risks in supply chains for digitally enabled products and services, and leveraging collective purchasing power to improve the broader software development ecosystem.

In 5G and beyond 5G, the Quad will advance interoperability and security through a new memorandum of cooperation on 5G supplier diversification and Open RAN, which enables mobile network operators to ensure interoperability while using equipment from multiple vendors. The leaders also launched the “Common Statement of Principles on Critical Technology Supply Chains” to advance cooperation on semiconductors and other critical technologies.

Besides expressing concern at the crisis in Myanmar and calling for an immediate end to violence and the swift restoration of democracy, the Quad leaders condemned all forms of terrorism and called for denying logistical, financial or military support to terror groups that can be used to launch cross-border attacks. They condemned terror attacks, including the Mumbai and Pathankot attacks, and demanded that Afghan territory must never be used to attack any country or to shelter terrorists.

The Quad leaders noted their countries had delivered more than 670 million vaccine doses as part of the Covid-19 response, including 265 million doses to the Indo-Pacific, and welcomed progress on expanding J&J vaccine production at the Biological E facility in India. “In this regard, we look forward to the grant of WHO’s EUL approvals regarding the aforementioned vaccines in India,” a joint statement said.

Foreign secretary Kwatra said Prime Minister Modi also made specific proposals for the Quad agenda, including putting in place solid initiatives in climate finance and sustainable development, building platforms for industries and businesses in Quad countries to forge partnerships in critical and emerging technologies, and informal and formal mechanisms to strengthen partnership among like-minded countries in areas of common interest.


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