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Japan Leads QUAD Meeting to Contain China’s Increasing Power

QUAD

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The United States, Australia, Japan and India are expressing concern about China’s growing economic and military power, and have set up the first meeting of their leaders in the group known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD).

It is the first meeting of the group under the Biden administration, which has not clearly shown what policies are being implemented to deter the increasing power of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

However, U.S. allies in Asia expect the Biden administration to continue the defense of democratic values in the same way as the Trump administration did.

Japan and Australia have continued uncertainty toward Beijing over incursions into Japanese waters and tariffs on Australian products, in addition to the CCP’s pursuit of its journalists in 2020.

Under the Biden administration, military exercises in the Taiwan Strait and the posture of senior military leaders vis-à-vis China have hinted that the current administration will continue to defend American hegemony in the Indo-Pacific.

President Joe Biden (top left), Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (top right) and Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison (bottom left), along with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the virtual QUAD meeting at Suga’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan. (EFE)

However, the upcoming meeting of Secretary of State Antony Blinken with his Chinese counterparts raised fears that the United States is giving in to pressure from Beijing, whose media outlets began a series of propaganda celebrating Biden’s decision to hold talks.

Japan firm on commitment expects consistency and agreements with Biden and QUAD

Biden gave a breather to American relations with Japan after easing Tokyo’s burden of sustaining American troops on its shores. The Seventh Fleet, along with more than 50,000 Marines, is based in Japan.

Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reacts during the virtual QUAD meeting at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan, March 12, 2021. (EFE)

To boost relations between the countries, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga plans to visit the United States in April 2021. While the agenda has not yet been released, Japan’s interests with Biden are aimed at trade and security cooperation in the region.

India seeks independence, but cooperating with America

In the face of the conflict between China and the United States, India remains neutral. The Chinese regime’s commercial interests with American allies, even with U.S. businessmen themselves, give China ample bargaining and coercive power.

People receive COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India, inside a Vaccination Center at Shatabdi Hospital in Mumbai, India, March 12, 2021. (EFE)

In addition, Delhi has a strategic interest in maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific region, having manufactured its own vaccine to combat the new coronavirus (COVID-19). This is a race that India wants to win over China, as India has already succeeded in securing partnerships with pharmaceutical companies in the United Kingdom for mass production and subsequent export to more than 35 countries with the support of the World Health Organization.

On the other hand, the White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, affirmed that “Biden has made this one of his first multilateral commitments and that speaks to the importance we place on close cooperation with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.”

Camilo Bello is a consultant focused on Asia Pacific studies and has experience in strategic management. He has studied law in Colombia and is currently pursuing studies in language and history at National Taiwan Normal University. He has collaborated with Students for Freedom in Hong Kong and Taiwan // Camilo es consultor enfocado en estudios de Asia Pacífico y experiencia en gestión estratégica. Cuenta con estudios en Derecho en Colombia y actualmente se encuentra realizando estudios en lenguaje e historia en National Taiwan Normal University. Colaborador de Estudiantes por la Libertad en Hong Kong y Taiwán

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