After the announcement of a spectacular military alliance in the Indo-Pacific zone, US President Joe Biden continued to advance his pawns in the region but in a more “Informal”, by receiving the Prime Ministers of India, Japan and Australia on Friday September 24.
The American president, in search of alliances with China, wants to revive this diplomatic format, known as “Quad” (for “Quadrilateral Security Dialogue”). After a virtual summit in March, he therefore brought it together again, for the first time in person and at such a high level.
From the White House, Australian and Japanese ministers Scott Morrison and Yoshihide Suga welcomed the meeting which they said aims to promote “A free and open Indo-Pacific region”, the formula used to criticize, without naming it, China and its ambitions in the area.
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, insisted on the “Shared democratic values” of the four partners.
“We are four first-rate democracies, with a long history of cooperation, we know how to get things done”, said their host Joe Biden.
The “Quad” in a consensual light
Outlined after the devastating tsunami of 2004 and formalized in 2007, the “Quadrilateral Security Dialogue” has long been sleepy. By reviving him, Joe Biden is in a way pursuing the “Pivot to Asia” of American foreign policy, already dear to Barack Obama.
But after the spectacular announcement of the “Aukus” military partnership with the United Kingdom and Australia – and of its submarine contract which has enraged France – Washington wants to present the “Quad” in a consensual light.
It is a cenacle “Informal” and “Intimate” intended for “Develop better communication channels”senior White House officials said in an interview with reporters. There is no aim “Military”, they hammered, assuring that the “Quad” would be ” additoinal “ other regional initiatives, in response to a question on its articulation with ASEAN. Certain members of this organization, which brings together ten Southeast Asian nations, fear that the American offensive in the region will lead to an escalation with China.
Scott Morrison assured the press that the members of the “Quad” were ready to face “Any pressure that would affect one of us”, and add: “We want all the countries of the Indo-Pacific to have this opportunity” because they “Attach importance to their sovereignty. “
Many projects tackled
On Friday, the “Quad” spoke of economic and environmental projects and the fight against the pandemic. The four partners want to launch an initiative to protect supplies of semiconductors, these electronic components essential for both washing machines and airplanes or smartphones, which many manufacturers around the world are struggling to obtain today.
They also heard talk, in bulk, about 5G, cybersecurity, university exchanges, projects in space, fishing, vaccines …
“For Washington, the challenge is to go beyond the sole security paradigm and significantly improve America’s economic position in Southeast Asia”, says Jonathan Stromseth, an expert on the region, in a note published by the Brookings think tank.
Joe Biden, if he has kept a hard line against China, more or less comparable to that of Donald Trump, approaches the confrontation with Beijing differently. He wants to go beyond the only face-to-face between the two super-powers and hopes to awaken the game of alliances.
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