Quad antidote to totalitarianism

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken set the scene for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting between Australia, the US, Japan and India in Melbourne on Friday with his frank assessment that China’s strategic ambition had expanded beyond the Asia-Pacific region to the point it had world military, economic, diplomatic and political domination in its sights.

In an exclusive interview with foreign editor Greg Sheridan on Thursday, Mr Blinken said China had plans for a new world order that would be “profoundly illiberal”, at odds with liberal democracies.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi agreed. Chinese military trends, combined with insufficient transparency on its defence politics and military affairs, were of grave concern to the region, including Japan and the international community, he told The Australian. It was unacceptable, as he said, that China Coast Guard vessels repeatedly had intruded into the Japanese territorial sea around the Senkaku Islands and attempted to approach Japanese fishing boats. Mr Hayashi was encouraged by Australia’s response in standing up to China’s trade coercion.

On the positive side, Mr Blinken underlined Wash­ington’s deep commitment to Australia and his belief in the power of the US and its allies as a stronger force than the emerging China-Russia coalition. His visit comes amid escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The “no limits” partnership declared by China and Russia last week, and the likelihood they will back each other in their respective stand-offs against Taiwan and Ukraine, was on the agenda for discussion at the Quad meeting. So was China’s coercion in the Indo-Pacific.

Greeting the visiting foreign ministers, Scott Morrison said new technologies, expanding markets, climate, Covid-19 responses and humanitarian issues were also part of the Quad’s work. The meeting also discussed upgrading cyber security and counter-terrorism infrastructure, freedom of navigation in the South and East China seas and the 12-month anniversary of the military junta’s coup in Myanmar.

The Quad meeting was also significant for nations beyond the Asia-Pacific. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who also visited Australia this week, said what happened in Europe affected Asia, and what happened in Asia affected Europe. The Quad, Mr Landsbergis said, “sends just the right message”. Over time, he said, China would find it harder to bully single countries.