'Asia NATO' Meeting Ends Without Agreement... Only Pompeo Mentions China

Pompeo "China's Exploitative Corruption and Coercion"
Japanese, Indian, Australian Ministers Avoid Mentioning China
US State Department Emphasizes "Broad Agreement"... 'Quad+' Faces Rough Road

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The so-called 'Quad' foreign ministers' meeting of the four countries?United States, Japan, India, and Australia?led by the U.S. to counter China, ended on the 6th (local time) without even issuing a joint statement.

Within the U.S., there are calls to evolve the Quad into a 'Quad+' security consultative body similar to NATO by adding South Korea, Vietnam, and others, but this outcome suggests that such a plan is not easy from the very start.

According to the joint remarks of the four foreign ministers released by the U.S. State Department that day, except for Secretary Pompeo, the other three ministers did not make any statements targeting China. Secretary Pompeo insisted, "It is more important than ever to cooperate to protect our people and partners from the exploitation, corruption, and coercion of the Chinese Communist Party," urging participation in pressure against China.

The foreign ministers of India and Australia only reaffirmed their common position that the Indo-Pacific should remain a free and open space, without unilaterally endorsing the U.S. stance. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne stated, "We believe in a region governed by rules, not power. We believe in a region where individual rights matter and disputes are resolved according to international law."

Indian Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar even appeared cautious about China. He said, "India hopes to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council next year. We look forward to seeking collective solutions to global challenges such as recovery from the pandemic and reform of multilateral institutions," avoiding remarks opposing China, a permanent Security Council member.

Japan also refrained from sensitive remarks considering its relationship with China. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, meeting with the attending ministers, only said, "Security and economic initiatives for a free and open Indo-Pacific are more important than ever," without mentioning China.

The State Department rebutted criticism that ministers from countries other than the U.S. did not mention China. A State Department official, speaking to reporters on Secretary Pompeo’s return flight, said, "This is not a U.S.-China dispute but about the free world versus Chinese authoritarianism," and claimed, "There was much agreement at this meeting as well."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.