During an upcoming Quad meeting to be held later this week in Canberra, the United States (US), Japan, Australia and India may discuss about taking strong measures to counter China’s disinformation campaigns and coercive economic measures, while also focussing on COVID-19 vaccine partnership.
The Quad meeting comes amid China’s aggressive behaviour across the Indo-Pacific region and continued hostilities at the Russia-Ukraine border after Moscow assembled over 100,000 thousand troops near Ukraine indicating another invasion of the Eastern European country.
Amid escalating tensions in Eastern Europe, the countries look to keep their focus on Asia. They have accused China of resorting to coercive economic practices over the last few years, including imposing tariffs and anti-dumping duties on Australian exports.
Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marise Payne, said she looks forward to hosting the Quad meeting in Melbourne on Friday and underscored that the measures to be used to fend off economic coercion by other countries would be a key priority. “We are a vital network of liberal democracies committed to practical co-operation, including to support a regional recovery and to ensure all Indo-Pacific nations, large and small, are able to make their own strategic decisions, free from coercion,” Payne said.
“The upcoming ministerial meeting of Quad is a further demonstration of the Australian government’s efforts to actively shape and influence our region and world by deepening partnerships at a time of strategic competition, threats to liberal international order and increasing uncertainty,” Payne added.
China has also been accused of disinformation campaigns by Australia and the US during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reportedly, the foreign ministers of the four countries are expected to discuss ways to counter such moves from countries like China and North Korea and talk about the dire situation in Afghanistan and Myanmar, apart from discussing the delivery of more vaccines to the region.
Additionally, the ministers are expected to discuss measures to boost humanitarian disaster relief following the eruption of an underwater volcano in Tonga, which sent tsunami waves across the Pacific coast.
Moreover, Australia might also urge the countries to not get distracted from the Quad’s priorities in the Indo-Pacific, including Beijing’s threat against Taiwan and its militarisation of the South China Sea, amid the Ukraine crisis.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is all set for his first visit to Australia for the Quad meeting despite the Ukraine crisis occupying the US administration’s attention, and the Australian government welcomed his decision.
NEW: @SecBlinken will travel to Australia next week for the Quad Foreign Ministerial meeting in #Melbourne, as well as bilateral meetings with his Australian, Japanese, and Indian counterparts. 🇺🇸🇦🇺 #USwithAUShttps://t.co/dwjvnQO9Yl
— US Embassy Canberra (@USAembassyinOZ) February 5, 2022
Likewise, Rory Medcalf, head of the National Security College at the Australian National University, said, “Mr Blinken’s decision to proceed with his trip to Australia and Fiji sent an important message that the US was staying committed to the Quad and the Indo-Pacific amid the Ukraine crisis.” However, Medcalf also expressed concern about the US’s commitment to Quad and the Indo-Pacific if the situation between Russia and Ukraine worsened.
The Quad was re-established in 2017 to address security challenges of the region amid China’s growing influence. In contrast, China called the formation of the Quad an attempt to contain China.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Australia’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in Ukraine. “Any breach of Ukraine’s sovereign territory is not a mark of peace,” Morrison said.