Eye on China, Quad repeatedly pokes the 'dragon' in the room: 'It's testing us all'

President Joe Biden, PM Modi, Australia's PM Anthony Albanese and Japan's PM Fumio Kishida at the Quad Leaders Summit at Archmere Academy in Delaware (PTI)

"Quad is here to say," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the annual summit of the four-nation group hosted by outgoing US President Joe Biden in Delaware. The declaration by PM Modi, in his opening remarks, set the tone for the fourth in-person summit between India, US, Japan and Australia — together known as Quad.

Besides Modi and Biden, the fourth in-person summit on Saturday was attended by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.

The latest meeting of Quad in United States was notable for the one theme that brought the group into existence in the first place, shared concerns over China's military posturing. Only this time, the gloves came off when the group yet again deplored Chinese activities in the Indo-Pacific.

Without directly naming China, Quad expressed serious concern over the situation in the South China Sea and nearby waters and condemned the "dangerous" use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in that region.

"We seek a region where no country dominates and no country is dominated -- one where all countries are free from coercion, and can exercise their agency to determine their futures," the leaders said in a joint statement after the meeting.

The group said that as four leading maritime democracies in the Indo-Pacific, the countries unequivocally stand for the maintenance of peace and stability across this dynamic region, as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity.

It strongly opposed any "destabilising or unilateral actions" that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. This was a veiled reference to China.

The joint declaration further said that the four-member Quad is a force for good and is more strategically aligned than ever before.

China has been locked in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea with several island nations.

It claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims.

Even separately, the leaders underpinned the importance of a free and fair Indo-Pacific with a tone that was seemingly directed at China.

During his address, PM Modi said a free, open, inclusive, and prosperous Indo-Pacific is a shared priority of the Quad.

"Our meeting is taking place at a time when the world is surrounded by tensions and conflicts. In such a situation, it is crucial for the Quad to unite around our shared democratic values for the greater good of humanity," Modi said in his remarks at the summit.

"We are not against anyone. We all support a rules-based international order, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the peaceful resolution of all issues," he said.

PM Modi said: "Our message is clear -- Quad is here to stay, to assist, to partner and to complement."

The leaders also announced a new regional Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI), to enable partners to maximize tools provided through Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) and other Quad initiatives. The initiative is aimed at monitoring and securing waters, enforcing laws, and deter unlawful behaviour.

While the group refrained from naming China publicly, an unintended hot mic moment momentarily revealed the palpable anti-Beijing sentiment in the room.

During the meeting, US President Joe Biden was caught on a hot mic telling Quad leaders that China was testing them. "China continues to behave aggressively, testing us all across the region on several fronts, including on economic and technology issues," the 81-year-old said.

The remark underscored the seriousness with which the United States views the emerging Chinese threat.

Chinese media takes umbrage

Expectedly, China did not take kindly to the latest Quad meeting and accused the group of resorting to a divide-and-rule strategy to sow discord between Beijing and its neighbours.

While the Chinese Foreign Ministry is yet to react to the summit which the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post stated "By any measure, the Quad summit culminates a remarkable transformation for the framework of four nations over the course of its 17-year history", the Chinese official media said the summit focus was China-containment strategy.

"The Biden administration went to great lengths to explain how the Quad has delivered on the priorities of its "Indo-Pacific" partners — ranging from addressing pandemics and disease and investing in critical and emerging technologies to strengthening their maritime domain awareness and maritime security — and how the Quad is meant to be a "global force for good". But that failed to disguise the Quad's role as a geopolitical tool of the US,” an editorial by the state-run China Daily said.

Although neither the joint statement of the four leaders nor the fact sheet of their summit issued mentions China at all, “the country was mentioned at least 20 times in the half-hour news conference held by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan after the conclusion of the summit”, said the editorial released late Sunday evening.

"Although the US blames the rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific on China, all regional countries, including the other three members of the Quad, are well aware that the main cause is the US taking the initiative to try and implement a divide-and-rule strategy in the region by taking all possible means to sow discord between China and its neighbours," it said.

The Quad, or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a strategic alliance formed in 2007 between the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, aimed at enhancing security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region in response to rising geopolitical challenges, particularly from China.

The grouping was revived during the Donald Trump administration when it reconvened on a ministerial level. Since then, it has held regular summits and is shaping into a strong counterforce to China in the strategic region.

(With inputs from agencies)