New Delhi: China on Monday said that the US was using Quad as a tool to contain Beijing and that any interference by external forces will not shake its determination to uphold its “sovereignty and maritime rights” in the disputed South and East China Seas.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian’s comments have come two days after the Quad summit concluded in the US, hosted by President Joe Biden in his home state Delaware. The summit was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Lin, during a media briefing on the quad summit, said that the US was rallying countries to round up military support and enhance security cooperation under the guise of maritime concerns. He said that the Quad was a tool to perpetuate Washington’s hegemony and was being used to peddle the narrative of a Chinese threat.
The Quad joint statement this year adopted a stronger language than the last and had expressed “serious concern about the situation in the East and South China Seas” without directly naming China.
“We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. We continue to express our serious concern about the militarisation of disputed features and coercive, intimidating manoeuvres in the South China Sea. We condemn the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, including the increasing use of dangerous manoeuvres,” said the Wilmington Declaration.
Lin asserted the situation in the South China Sea and East China Sea is stable. Some countries outside the region are trying to interfere in China’s internal affairs by forming exclusive circles to escalate the situation, the Hindu reported.
“I want to stress that any inference of any forces will not shake China’s firm determination to uphold its territorial sovereignty, maritime rights interests, regional peace and stability,” he said, adding that China will lodge diplomatic protests to countries if they take any action to undermine Beijing’s sovereignty.
The Quad joint statement said, “We remain committed to strengthening cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. We strongly support IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) as the Indian Ocean region’s premier forum for addressing the region’s challenges. We recognise India’s leadership in finalising the IORA Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (IOIP) and express our support for its implementation”.
Lin said that cooperation between countries should be conducive to regional peace and prosperity rather than forming exclusive circles to undermine mutual trust and cooperation between countries. China is open to countries for normal cooperation but relevant cooperation should not target other countries and undermine regional cooperation, peace and stability, he said.
Biden on China at the Quad
While the Quad nations insist that the grouping is not directed at any other country, the US president began the meeting with a briefing on China.
In comments inadvertently broadcast in a ‘hot mic’ after the opening press statements, Biden remarked that the US observes China’s recent diplomatic outreach as a “change in tactic, not a change in strategy”.
“At least from our perspective, we believe [Chinese President] Xi Jinping is looking to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimise the turbulence in China diplomatic relationships, and he’s also looking to buy himself some diplomatic space, in my view, to aggressively pursue China’s interest,” he said.
Biden noted that the China continued to behave “aggressively” across the “the South China Sea, the East China Sea, South China, South Asia and the Taiwan Straits”.
“At the same time, we believe intense competition requires intense diplomacy. I spoke with President Xi in April. My National Security Advisor recently traveled to Beijing a few weeks ago, and we see this engagement as important for conflict prevention and crisis management amidst our strategic competition, while we’ve secured some gains in US China about bilateral relations that are important,” he said.
Both Washington and Beijing have been engaging in regular talks, with Biden administration officials frequently visiting China in an effort to manage their complex relationship. Last August, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan traveled to Beijing for discussions and also met with President Xi.
