It will be the first time that talks have taken place between the heads of state of the four members of the Quad and will take place while all four countries see increased tensions with China over a variety of issues.
“It is confirmed that the Quad meeting will take place soon, probably on Friday,” the source said.
The Quad, or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is an informal strategic forum for the four nations involved and featured summits and semi-regular exchanges of information.
But the four heads of state, currently US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, were never present at the meetings.
Although not a formal military alliance like NATO, Quad is seen by some as a potential counterweight to China’s growing influence and alleged aggression in the Asia-Pacific region. The collection was denounced by Beijing as an anti-China bloc.
Morrison previewed the talks at a news conference last week.
“The quad is very central to the thinking of the United States and ours about the region,” Morrison said.
“This will become a feature of the Indo-Pacific commitment. But it will not be a big bureaucracy, with a big secretariat and things like that. There will be four leaders, four countries, who will work together constructively for peace, prosperity and stability. in the Indo-Pacific, which is good for everyone in the Indo-Pacific, “said the Australian Prime Minister.
Joint military exercises
As for the military side of the Quad, cooperation has increased in the last year through bilateral agreements between Quad partners and joint military exercises.
In November last year, Australia joined the annual Malabar exercises with the US, Japan and India. Conducted annually since 1992, the maneuvers have increased in size and complexity in recent years to address what the US Navy has previously described as a “variety of common threats to maritime security in the Indo-Asia Pacific”.
Australia’s participation meant that all four members of the Quad were involved in exercises for the first time since 2007.
All four have seen turbulent relations with China in recent years.
Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a military clash along the Line of Effective Control – the de facto border between the two Himalayan countries – in June, leaving troops dead on both sides after a hand-to-hand battle.
Relations between Beijing and New Delhi have since been frozen, with both trade and technology disputes.
Meanwhile, the United States has increased the pace of its naval and air missions in the South China Sea, while pushing back Beijing’s claims to the vast waterway. It has also stepped up support for self-governing Taiwan, which Beijing claims as sovereign territory.
Asia and China have been a key target of the Biden administration’s foreign policy since taking office on 20 January.
It will be the first international trip by Biden Cabinet officials since the inauguration of the US President.
The Japanese leader expects to visit Washington
Kato said in a daily press briefing on Monday that the Japan-US summit would take place, but the date and details have not been set.
If confirmed, Suga will be the first international leader to visit the White House under the Biden administration.
Blinken cited the US relationship with Beijing this month as “the biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century.” He said that we need to engage China from a position of strength that can only be achieved with allies and partners.
“China is the only country with economic, diplomatic, military and technological power that seriously challenges the stable and open international system – all the rules, values and relationships that make the world work the way we want it to,” Blinken said in his security strategy speech. Biden administration.
CNN’s Junko Ogura contributed to the report.