Beijing unhappy about ‘exclusive clique’ to attend ‘Quad’ meeting’ of Australia, US, Japan and India
China confirms its unease about an upcoming meeting of Australia, US, Japan and India, saying it targets ‘third parties’.
China’s foreign ministry has confirmed its deep unease about next week’s “Quad” meeting in Tokyo, calling the gathering of the US, Japan, India and Australia an “exclusive clique” that targets “third parties”.
“We believe the world’s overriding trend is peace, development and win-win co-operation. Instead of forming exclusive cliques, multilateral and plurilateral co-operation should be open, inclusive and transparent,” said China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin.
“Instead of targeting third parties or undermining third parties’ interests, co-operation should be conducive to mutual understanding and trust between regional countries,” Mr Wang said at a regular press briefing late on Tuesday in Beijing.
The comments were made hours after Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the in-person meeting of the four foreign ministers of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue — also known as “the Quad” – would take place in Tokyo on October 6.
Beijing has long been suspicious about the security grouping of the four Indo-Pacific countries, which was championed during Shinzo Abe’s almost eight years as Japan’s prime minister.
Mr Abe’s successor as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his administration have been keen to stress the continuity of Japan’s foreign policy.
Mr Suga spoke to the leaders of the three other Quad members – first Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, then US president Donald Trump and later India’s prime minister Narendra Modi – before his first call with China’s Xi Jinping.
The meeting of Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne next Tuesday will be the most senior multi-party conference hosted in Tokyo since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, an indication of its importance in Japanese foreign policy.
It will be only the second meeting of the Quad at foreign minister level, following last year’s inaugural gathering in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
India has in recent years been the most ambivalent member of the grouping. The death in June of 20 Indian soldiers on its disputed mountainous border after a conflict with the People’s Liberation Army has increased unease in New Delhi about its giant neighbour.
“It is timely that foreign ministers of the four nations who share the same ambitions over regional matters exchange views over various challenges,” said Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi on Tuesday.
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