Beijing: China Monday termed Quad as a tool used by the US to contain Beijing, asserting that interference by any external force will not shake its determination to uphold its “sovereignty and maritime rights” in the disputed South and East China Seas.
“Quad is identified as the premier regional grouping that plays a leading role in the US’s Indo-Pacific strategy. It is a tool the US uses to contain China and perpetuate US hegemony,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a media briefing, fielding a spate of questions on the Quad summit.
Hosted by President Joe Biden, the Quad Summit took place on Saturday in his hometown Wilmington, Delaware. The summit was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan.
Lin accused the US of attempting to “patch up forces to exclude and contain China by peddling the “China threat” narrative. “The Quad tries to muster military and security cooperation under the pretext of maritime issues — same intention, same tactics,” he said.
Though the US claims that it does not target China, the first topic of the summit is about China and China was made an issue throughout the event, he said, in a veiled reference to informal comments by Biden to fellow Quad leaders.
Biden was caught on a hot mic telling leaders of the Quad nations that China was testing them, thus reflecting upon the American seriousness of the emerging Chinese threat.
“We believe (Chinese President) Xi Jinping is looking to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimise the turbulence in China,” Biden told the leaders at the Summit.
The US is lying through its teeth and even the US media does not believe it, Lin said, replying to a question about Biden’s comments.
“Ganging up to form exclusive groupings undermines the mutual trust and cooperation between regional countries, runs counter to the overwhelming trend of pursuing peace, development, cooperation, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and is bound to fail,” he said.
Ever since the Quad started taking shape in 2007, China has been saying that the four-member grouping will be bound to fail. But much to the chagrin of Beijing, it picked up pace in the recent years emerging as a premier strategic group especially challenging China’s assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea.
In 2018, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi termed the Quad as a headline-grabbing idea and will dissipate like foam in the sea.
Commenting on the steady evolution of Quad and the outcome of the Delaware summit, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post said, “By any measure, the Quad summit culminates a remarkable transformation for the framework of four nations over the course of its 17-year history”.
The US needs to get rid of its obsession with perpetuating its supremacy and containing China, stop using regional countries as its tool, stop glossing over the strategic intention behind all kinds of exclusive groupings, and act on its word that the revitalisation of its alliances is not targeted at China, instead of seeking selfish gains at the expense of other countries’ strategic security interests and the wellbeing of the people in the Asia-Pacific, he said.
About the Quad Summit expressing grave concern over the situation in the South China Sea and East China Sea, Lin said that external interference will not shake China’s resolve to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
China claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have overlapping claims.
The East China Sea dispute concerns claims and counterclaims by China and Japan.
Lin said that the situation in the East and South China Seas is generally stable. “Some country outside the region keeps cobbling together small groupings and tries every means to meddle in maritime issues at China’s doorstep in order to incite bloc confrontation, escalate the situation, and undermine regional peace and stability”, he said.
“Let me stress that no interference from any force will weaken China’s determination in defending its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in accordance with law and keeping the region peaceful and stable. We will lodge serious protests over any act that undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests,” he said.
He also parried questions over the Quad announcing its first joint Coast Guard Mission at Sea and strengthening cooperation in the Indian Ocean region by giving primacy to India.
The Quad joint statement said, “We remain committed to strengthening cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. We strongly support IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) as the Indian Ocean region’s premier forum for addressing the region’s challenges. We recognize India’s leadership in finalising the IORA Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (IOIP) and express our support for its implementation.”
Lin said cooperation between countries should be conducive to peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, rather than focusing on forming exclusive groupings that undermine trust and cooperation among regional countries.
China is open to normal cooperation between relevant countries at sea, but the cooperation should not target other countries or undermine regional peace and stability under any pretext, he said.
PTI
