China blows hot & cold over Quad summit

PTI, Beijing: China on 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. The Quad, identified as the premier regional grouping in the US Indo-Pacific strategy, is a tool used by Washington to contain China to perpetuate its 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 pooling together countries to muster military and security cooperation under the pretext of maritime issues to contain China by peddling the China threat narrative. The US says Qaud doesn't target China but the highest on its agenda is China, 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 media doesn't 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 the regional countries, Lin said.

It runs counter to the overall trend of pursuing peace, development cooperation and prosperity in the Asia Pacific and it 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 for its 17-year history.