{"id":8486,"date":"2021-06-07T16:48:13","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T14:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/east-sea.de\/?p=8486"},"modified":"2021-06-08T08:04:03","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T06:04:03","slug":"english-the-quad-in-the-indo-pacific","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/east-sea.de\/en\/2021\/06\/07\/english-the-quad-in-the-indo-pacific\/","title":{"rendered":"The Quad in the Indo-Pacific"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"article-header article-header--in-brief\">\n<div class=\"article-header__main-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"article-header__main-section\">\n<p class=\"article-header__description\"><strong><em>The Quad, composed of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan, is not a formal alliance.\u00a0Still, the group has intensified its security and economic ties as tensions with China rise.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"main-wrapper__article-body\">\n<aside class=\"right-rail\"><\/aside>\n<div class=\"highlight-to-share\" data-hasqtip=\"0\">\n<div class=\"body-content\">\n<h4>What does the Quad do?<\/h4>\n<p>The Quad, officially the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a group of four countries: the United States, Australia, India, and Japan.\u00a0<a title=\"Maritime cooperation\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2004\/US\/12\/29\/bush.quake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Maritime cooperation<\/a>\u00a0among them began after the Indian Ocean tsunami<em>\u00a0<\/em>of 2004. But today the countries\u2014all democracies and vibrant economies\u2014work on a far broader agenda, which includes tackling security, economic, and health issues.<\/p>\n<p>Over the years, the Quad\u2019s diplomacy has waxed and waned. It is a loose grouping rather than a formal alliance. Japan initially emphasized the democratic identity of the four nations, whereas India seemed more comfortable emphasizing functional cooperation. Australian leaders have been reluctant about creating the impression that the group is a formal alliance.<\/p>\n<p>As of 2021, leaders in all four countries have become more aligned in their shared concerns about China\u2019s increasingly assertive behavior in the region and are more willing to define a constructive agenda of cooperation. All four navies participated in their\u00a0<a title=\"first joint exercise\" href=\"https:\/\/www.minister.defence.gov.au\/minister\/lreynolds\/media-releases\/australia-joins-exercise-malabar-2020#:~:text=Australia%20has%20joined%20key%20regional,of%20regional%20peace%20and%20security.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">first joint exercise<\/a>\u00a0in over a decade in November 2020. And in March 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden convened a\u00a0<a title=\"virtual Quad meeting\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2021\/03\/12\/quad-leaders-joint-statement-the-spirit-of-the-quad\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">virtual Quad meeting<\/a>\u00a0attended by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. They formed\u00a0<a title=\"working groups\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2021\/03\/12\/fact-sheet-quad-summit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">working groups<\/a>\u00a0on COVID-19 vaccines, climate change, and technological innovation and supply-chain resilience.<\/p>\n<h4>What are U.S. interests in the Quad?<\/h4>\n<p>Working closely with these countries is natural for the United States. Australia and Japan are U.S. treaty allies, and India is an\u00a0<a title=\"important strategic partner\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/timeline\/us-india-relations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">important strategic partner<\/a>. The Donald Trump administration worked closely with these countries, and the Biden administration is expanding the Quad\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n<p>The Indo-Pacific spans two oceans and several continents, making it important to U.S. maritime interests. In 2019,\u00a0<a title=\"$1.9 trillion\" href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Free-and-Open-Indo-Pacific-4Nov2019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$1.9 trillion<\/a>\u00a0[PDF] worth of U.S. trade passed through the region. This year, 42\u00a0percent of the world\u2019s exports and 38\u00a0percent of global imports are expected to pass through, according to a\u00a0<a title=\"UN report\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unescap.org\/resources\/trade-goods-outlook-asia-and-pacific-20202021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UN report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>China\u2019s growing willingness to challenge the regional status quo worries Washington, and Beijing\u2019s challenging of democratic values over the past year has deepened other Quad partners\u2019 concerns as well. China\u2019s pursuit of its regional interests\u2014including its\u00a0<a title=\"crackdown on Hong Kong\u2019s freedoms\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/backgrounder\/hong-kong-freedoms-democracy-protests-china-crackdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">crackdown on Hong Kong\u2019s freedoms<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0criticism of nations that take issue with its actions\u2014has not been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Quad\u2019s agenda is not all about China. Leaders of the four nations also see a need for a more proactive approach to solving humanitarian and economic challenges caused by COVID-19.<\/p>\n<h4>What are Japan\u2019s aims for the Quad?<\/h4>\n<p>Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was a strong believer in the Quad\u2019s power to ensure a \u201cfree and open Indo-Pacific.\u201d Abe worked to persuade the Trump administration of the\u00a0<a title=\"value of this coalition approach\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mofa.go.jp\/policy\/page25e_000278.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">value of this coalition approach<\/a>\u00a0across the Indo-Pacific.<\/p>\n<p>Japan depends heavily on open sea lanes for its trade with the world. The U.S. and Japanese militaries already work closely across the region, and Japan\u2019s Self-Defense Forces have slowly\u00a0<a title=\"built relationships\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mod.go.jp\/e\/publ\/w_paper\/wp2020\/pdf\/R02shiryo.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">built relationships<\/a>\u00a0[PDF] with their Australian and Indian counterparts. Similarly, Japan has played an important role in\u00a0<a title=\"supporting investment\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adb.org\/sites\/default\/files\/publication\/27772\/jpn-2019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">supporting investment<\/a>\u00a0[PDF] in manufacturing, trade, and infrastructure development across the region.<\/p>\n<p>Japan and its Quad partners share concerns about China\u2019s role in the region and Beijing\u2019s challenges to the rule of law. Beijing\u2019s assertion of its sovereignty in the South China Sea, as well as Chinese provocations toward islands China and Japan both claim in the East China Sea, has\u00a0<a title=\"made Tokyo wary\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/in-brief\/how-japan-upgrading-its-military\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">made Tokyo wary<\/a>\u00a0of China\u2019s military build-up. Strategic consultations with other Quad partners are vital.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, Japan is watching carefully as China imposes economic conditionality on countries in the Indo-Pacific, and it wants to offer Southeast Asian countries\u00a0<a title=\"alternative sources of assistance\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2019-06-23\/china-no-match-for-japan-in-southeast-asia-infrastructure-race\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">alternative sources of assistance<\/a>\u00a0and commerce to offset China\u2019s growing influence. Tokyo has joined with Washington and Canberra to deepen the funds available for quality infrastructure. Bolstering the resilience of the Quad nations, especially for critical supply chains for goods such as semiconductors, will also be a Japanese priority.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-8487\" src=\"http:\/\/east-sea.de\/datei\/uploads\/2021\/06\/quad-meeting-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"344\" height=\"229\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>How has China responded?<\/h4>\n<p>China\u2019s relations with each of the Quad members have become more tense during the pandemic. U.S.-China tensions remain high; Beijing\u2019s frustration was conspicuous when the new Biden foreign policy team had its\u00a0<a title=\"first meeting\" href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/secretary-antony-j-blinken-national-security-advisor-jake-sullivan-chinese-director-of-the-office-of-the-central-commission-for-foreign-affairs-yang-jiechi-and-chinese-state-councilor-wang-yi-at-th\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">first meeting<\/a>\u00a0with its Chinese counterpart in Alaska in March. Australia continues to bear the brunt of\u00a0<a title=\"Chinese economic sanctions\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/world\/north-america\/just-not-going-to-happen-us-warns-china-over-australian-trade-stoush-20210316-p57b4l.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chinese economic sanctions<\/a>\u00a0after suggesting a World Health Organization investigation into the origins of COVID-19 last year. India and Japan have clashed with China over\u00a0<a title=\"territorial disputes\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/report\/preparing-heightened-tensions-between-china-and-india\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">territorial disputes<\/a>. China\u2019s ambassador to Tokyo has publicly criticized Prime Minister Suga, claiming that the new Quad diplomacy reflects a \u201cCold War mentality\u201d and that it is \u201c100 percent outdated.\u201d In addition, recent polls have shown\u00a0<a title=\"negative views of China\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/global\/2020\/10\/06\/unfavorable-views-of-china-reach-historic-highs-in-many-countries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">negative views of China<\/a>\u00a0have soared among publics across the region.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, few policymakers in the Quad countries see an advantage in trying to contain Chinese influence militarily. Instead, the Quad leaders have emphasized cooperation across areas of shared interest to bolster confidence in the democracies\u2019 ability to counter China\u2019s assertion of regional influence. As long as tensions with China remain, the Quad\u2019s agenda is likely to expand as the democracies of the Indo-Pacific seek to balance China\u2019s growing power.\/.<\/p>\n<p>For more: https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/in-brief\/quad-indo-pacific-what-know<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Aufrufe: 929<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Quad, composed of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan, is not a formal alliance.\u00a0Still, the group has intensified its security and economic ties as tensions with China rise. What does the Quad do? The Quad, officially the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a group of four countries: the United States, Australia, India, and Japan.\u00a0Maritime &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[41],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/east-sea.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8486"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/east-sea.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/east-sea.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/east-sea.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/east-sea.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8486"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/east-sea.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8488,"href":"https:\/\/east-sea.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8486\/revisions\/8488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/east-sea.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/east-sea.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/east-sea.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}