Beijing (TDI): The latest joint statement released by the Quad foreign ministers reflects an obvious division among the four nations, as India, Japan, and Australia – who are improving relations with China – showed a shared reluctance to provoke Beijing in the text while trying to maintain coordination with the United States.
Quad’s focus on China as a target lacks the momentum to go far due to emerging uncertainties, some Chinese analysts said on Wednesday.
The US Secretary of State and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan issued a joint statement commemorating the twentieth anniversary of “Quad Cooperation,” which it claimed that the grouping is “a diplomatic network of four nations committed to supporting a free and open, prosperous and stable Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.”
According to the US Department of State, 20 years ago, in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, India, Japan, Australia, and the US came together in service to the people of our region for the first time as the grouping now known as the Quad.
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The statement ends on a vague note, stating that “the Quad is committed to working together in responding to the future needs of the region,” the Global Times reported.
Although the statement did not mention China directly, some Indian media outlets have hyped the statement by offering anti-China narrative in their reports, citing so-called Beijing’s assertive behavior its increasing military muscle-flexing in the region.
Improved Ties with China
“India, Japan, and Australia have strengthened their ties with China. Explicitly naming Beijing could provoke a strong reaction from Beijing. As a result, the group refrained from directly naming China in the statement to preserve diplomatic flexibility,” according to Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University.
While India, Japan, and Australia are unwilling to be tied to the anti-China chariot led by Washington, the pressure of China’s rise may still lead them to maintain cooperation with the United State. This reflects their policy of balancing national interests, he said.
The statement also reflects the evident division within the Quad, according to Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University.
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Li said that the three members of the Quad have been striving to maintain coordination with the United States while keeping their relationship with China stable.
This has led to an awkward diplomatic stance within Quad, revealing divisions and inconsistencies in their actions, he added.
