Quad leaders push cooperation on maritime security with China in mind
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Quad leaders push cooperation on maritime security with China in mind
Kyodo News
Published Sep 22, 2024 01:12 PM PHT

WILMINGTON, Delaware — The leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States agreed Saturday to expand cooperation on maritime security, such as through improving the interoperability of their countries' coast guards, in the face of China's relentless assertiveness in the South China Sea and nearby waters.
WILMINGTON, Delaware — The leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States agreed Saturday to expand cooperation on maritime security, such as through improving the interoperability of their countries' coast guards, in the face of China's relentless assertiveness in the South China Sea and nearby waters.
US President Joe Biden, who chose his home state of Delaware to host a summit of the grouping known as the Quad, said they will roll out additional projects designed to have a "real positive impact" on the Indo-Pacific.
US President Joe Biden, who chose his home state of Delaware to host a summit of the grouping known as the Quad, said they will roll out additional projects designed to have a "real positive impact" on the Indo-Pacific.
In a joint statement, the leaders outlined new and ongoing initiatives in areas ranging from maritime security and infrastructure to natural disaster response and emerging technologies.
In a joint statement, the leaders outlined new and ongoing initiatives in areas ranging from maritime security and infrastructure to natural disaster response and emerging technologies.
Noteworthy new projects included launching joint coast guard exercises, starting next year, and widening training for other countries in the region to help them monitor their territorial waters, enforce their laws and deter illicit behavior.
Noteworthy new projects included launching joint coast guard exercises, starting next year, and widening training for other countries in the region to help them monitor their territorial waters, enforce their laws and deter illicit behavior.
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The Quad's support will be coupled with the provision of new technology and data.
The Quad's support will be coupled with the provision of new technology and data.
"We're democracies who know how to get things done," Biden said, noting that the four countries are "more strategically aligned than ever before."
"We're democracies who know how to get things done," Biden said, noting that the four countries are "more strategically aligned than ever before."
A senior Biden administration official said the first coast guard exercise will be led by the United States, which will welcome coast guard members from all three of the other countries.
A senior Biden administration official said the first coast guard exercise will be led by the United States, which will welcome coast guard members from all three of the other countries.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is set to step down in the coming days, said, "This meeting, I believe, could not have been better suited for my last foreign visit as the prime minister."
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is set to step down in the coming days, said, "This meeting, I believe, could not have been better suited for my last foreign visit as the prime minister."
"The security environment surrounding ourselves is becoming increasingly severe," he said, adding it is ever more crucial for the four countries, which share values such as democratic governance, to remain committed to their common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
"The security environment surrounding ourselves is becoming increasingly severe," he said, adding it is ever more crucial for the four countries, which share values such as democratic governance, to remain committed to their common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
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Using some of the strongest language that the Quad has ever issued, with China in mind, the leaders said, "We condemn the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, including increasing use of dangerous maneuvers."
Using some of the strongest language that the Quad has ever issued, with China in mind, the leaders said, "We condemn the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, including increasing use of dangerous maneuvers."
The meeting at Biden's former high school, Archmere Academy, was widely seen as about his legacy and an opportunity for him to showcase what has been accomplished by his administration in foreign policy since its inception more than three and a half years ago.
The meeting at Biden's former high school, Archmere Academy, was widely seen as about his legacy and an opportunity for him to showcase what has been accomplished by his administration in foreign policy since its inception more than three and a half years ago.
White House officials said that Biden, who abandoned his bid for a second term in July, had opted for a private setting to reflect the close personal relationships he has fostered with Kishida, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
White House officials said that Biden, who abandoned his bid for a second term in July, had opted for a private setting to reflect the close personal relationships he has fostered with Kishida, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India will host the next summit in 2025, and the statement, dubbed the Wilmington Declaration after the name of Biden's hometown, concluded with the sentence -- "The Quad is here to stay."
India will host the next summit in 2025, and the statement, dubbed the Wilmington Declaration after the name of Biden's hometown, concluded with the sentence -- "The Quad is here to stay."
Biden elevated the grouping, which dates back to 2004 in the wake of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, to the leader level in 2021. He hosted the first in-person Quad summit in September of that year in Washington.
Biden elevated the grouping, which dates back to 2004 in the wake of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, to the leader level in 2021. He hosted the first in-person Quad summit in September of that year in Washington.
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The Quad is often seen as a counterweight to China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. China has criticized the grouping as an Asian version of NATO, although it is not a military alliance.
The Quad is often seen as a counterweight to China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. China has criticized the grouping as an Asian version of NATO, although it is not a military alliance.
Experts including Lisa Curtis, director of the Indo-Pacific security program at the Center for a New American Security, said that coast guard cooperation would demonstrate the increasing security element of the Quad.
Experts including Lisa Curtis, director of the Indo-Pacific security program at the Center for a New American Security, said that coast guard cooperation would demonstrate the increasing security element of the Quad.
"I think a new Quad maritime security initiative would send a very strong signal to China that its maritime bullying is unacceptable and that it would be met with coordinated action by this coalition of like-minded nations," said Curtis, a former official of the White House, the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department.
"I think a new Quad maritime security initiative would send a very strong signal to China that its maritime bullying is unacceptable and that it would be met with coordinated action by this coalition of like-minded nations," said Curtis, a former official of the White House, the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department.
The leaders also agreed on allowing their forces to share cargo space on planes and vessels for the purposes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.
The leaders also agreed on allowing their forces to share cargo space on planes and vessels for the purposes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.
Among the other areas of cooperation announced were projects for new communications infrastructure, known as Open Radio Access Network, and efforts to eradicate cervical cancer, building on their experience of working together during the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to the sources.
Among the other areas of cooperation announced were projects for new communications infrastructure, known as Open Radio Access Network, and efforts to eradicate cervical cancer, building on their experience of working together during the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to the sources.
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The focus on the communications network, designed to avoid reliance on specific companies' technology, reflects concerns among the Quad over China's growing ties with and massive investment in Southeast Asia and Pacific island countries.
The focus on the communications network, designed to avoid reliance on specific companies' technology, reflects concerns among the Quad over China's growing ties with and massive investment in Southeast Asia and Pacific island countries.
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