China on Wednesday criticized the upcoming Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) foreign minister’s meeting, which is going to be held on 10th-11th February in Melbourne, Australia. It also slammed QUAD for being a product of the “cold war mentality” which attempts to initiate a conflict with China.
“China seeks peace, development, and cooperation. We advance the building of an Asia-Pacific security system that is open, inclusive, and not targeting any third country… We hope that the US and relevant countries can get a clear picture of the situation, feel relaxed, abandon the Cold War mentality, stop driving wedges between regional countries and contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity,” said Zhao Lijian, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
Terming QUAD as a Cold War-era relic, China termed it as another “bloc” formed by the United States to maintain its hegemony and accused it of imposing it’s interpretation of democracy on the rest of the world. “The US has long lost its reputation as a democracy. However, it is still trying to force other countries to accept US-style democratic standards. The US is drawing a line along democratic values, and putting together small blocs. This is a complete betrayal of democratic values… We oppose exclusive blocs to create bloc confrontation,” he further said.
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The QUAD foreign ministers’ summit comes on the back of NATO’s heightened tensions in eastern Europe with Russia over Ukraine. The meet will set the tone and tenor for the upcoming QUAD summit in Tokyo, Japan in the middle of this year. The international politics are said to be heading towards another Cold War, this time between the West and Russia-China alliance. Recently meeting on the sidelines of the 2022 Winter Olympics inauguration, Russian President Putin and Chinese President Jinping termed the purported NATO expansion plans in Ukraine as a “Cold War-era approach.”
The US has asserted that they are committed to ensuring a secure Indo-Pacific region for freedom of navigation and international trade in a safe environment. “The key message that the secretary (Blinken) will take with him on this trip is that our partnerships deliver… The Quad is a key component of US foreign economic and security policy in the Indo-Pacific region … It’s through this partnership that we’re strengthening the security environment in the region to push back against aggression and coercion,” said Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink. "The Quad is not a security or military partnership.The Secretary was referring to one of many activities/platforms the Quad supports as part ofour shared approach tothe Indo-Pacific," The Hindu quotes a state department spokespersn saying.
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India’s foreign minister S. Jaishankar is expected to discuss Indo-Pacific security, critical technology such as 5G and semiconductors as well as collective response to pandemic in terms of vaccine production. “(The four ministers will) exchange views on regional strategic issues given their shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region,” MEA said.
The first in-person QUAD summit took place in Washington, D.C. last year in September.
