China on Friday said that the Quad will find no support from Beijing as it is an ‘exclusive’ clique working against a third country.
Beijing’s statement came ahead of the first in-person meeting of Quad leaders that is going to take place in Washington in a couple of days.
China also said that it believes in a regional cooperation mechanism that does not target or harm the interests of a third party.
“China always believes that any regional cooperation mechanism should not target a third party or harm its interests. Seeking exclusive closed cliques against a third country runs against the trend of the times and aspirations of countries in the region,” foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian said on Friday. “It (the Quad) will find no support.”
Lijian further said that the growth of China means growth and stability in the world. Relevant countries should be more involved with solidarity and cooperation with countries in the region, he added.
“The growth of China means the growth for peace and stability in the world and China’s contribution to peace and stability and development in the Asia-Pacific is there for all to see,” Zhao Lijian said. “Relevant countries should do more that is conducive to solidarity and cooperation with countries in the region.”
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Earlier, China had also taken a strong stance on the online convention of the Quad summit in March. Beijing said that it “will end up nowhere” if it does not abandon its ideological bias and cold war mentality, underscoring its opposition to the bloc.
According to a Chinese media outlet, the Chinese state media asked Japan, India and Australia "not to follow the US too far in confronting China. Once they step on the red line of China's core interests, China will not care about their relations with the US, and China will not hesitate to punish them."
For Washington, the Quad meeting marks another step to reviving a US focus on diplomatic efforts, following its dramatic exit from the 20-year Afghanistan war. US officials are keen to stress there is no military component to the Quad. They also say it is not meant to rival or undermine the preeminent regional grouping ASEAN, which includes China.
