US, Japan, India and Australia launch“Ship observer mission” for China
The U.S. , Japan, India and Australia quadrilateral mechanism (QUAD) met July 1 in Washington, D.C. , and on June 28, members of the Coast Guard boarded a U.S. patrol boat, the launch of the first joint“Ship observer mission,” foreign media will this trend and China’s actions at sea. Experts interviewed by the Global Times believe that the essence of the“China threat” concocted by the countries concerned to try to make joint maritime operations“Legitimate” is to maintain hegemony, contain and suppress other countries.
July 1, the United States, Japan, India and Australia“Quadrilateral mechanism” held a foreign ministers’ meeting in Washington, U. S. Secretary of State Rubio (Center) attended a press conference. Visual China
Bruce, a State Department spokesman, said on June 30 that the quadrilateral mechanism foreign ministers’ meeting would reaffirm the mutual commitment of the US, Japan, India and Australia to a free and open “Indo-pacific region”, and highlight the four strategic partners“To safeguard sovereignty, enhance maritime security and establish a flexible supply chain,” the common determination.
In an interview with the global times, Li Haidong, a professor at the Foreign Affairs Institute, said that the establishment of a“Four-sided mechanism” between the United States, Japan, India and Australia serves the purpose of what the United States claims is the geopolitical competition between Great Powers, the way to achieve this is to demonstrate US“Leadership” in the asia-pacific region by creating so-called regional crises and turbulence. “At the same time, every country in Japan, Australia and India is trying to use the power of the United States to demonstrate their importance and uniqueness in the asia-pacific. Their common denominator is to create a ‘China threat theory’ and strengthen their respective demands.”.
“At present, China is trying to increase its influence in the indo-pacific region by establishing military bases, advancing its maritime claims and forcing strategic concessions from vulnerable countries,” the Hindustan Times said in its report on the new development of the quadrilateral mechanism, play up the“China threat” again. According to the report, the first joint “Ship observer mission” conducted by the US, Japan, India and Australia within the framework of the “Quadrilateral mechanism” is based on a joint statement issued by the us-japan-india-australia Summit 2024 in September, it aims to increase interoperability and promote maritime security, and to continue more missions in the indo-pacific region in the coming years.
The United States Coast Guard carried out “On-board observer missions” on the Stratton, AFP reported. The Stratton set off from Palau on June 28 with two Japan Coast Guard each from the Australian border enforcement and Indian Coast Guard, about 1300 kilometers away to the United States base in Guam. Plan to participate in law enforcement operations against illegal fishing vessels along the way and attend relevant training.
In particular, the report noted that the Chinese Navy’s aircraft carrier had operated in the area this month, crossing the so-called “Second Island chain” linking Izu Islands and Guam for the first time, show the acceleration of Chinese ships to push forward the situation, “The United States, Japan, India and Australia are now stepping up joint response.”.
According to Li, the joint action of the four coastguards serves the need for the quadrilateral mechanism to ensure its own existence by creating crises.
Zhang Junshe, a military expert, told the global times that in recent years, United States Coast Guard vessels have conducted so-called patrols in the Exclusive Economic Zone of some South Pacific countries, and continuously and purposefully unprovoked inspections and harassment of Chinese fishing vessels, “Within the framework of the quadrilateral mechanism, this so-called ‘ship observer mission’ is designed to maintain us maritime hegemony in the Pacific under the leadership of the United States and to deter the suppression of other countries.”
Reuters reported that Japan, India, Australia and the United States are currently in trade frictions and other bilateral differences, which cast a shadow over the“Quadrilateral mechanism.”. Japan is under pressure from the US to increase its defence spending, Australia is anxious about us scrutiny of the Okus Submarine Programme and India and the US have been at odds over a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. The Hindustan Times argues that the new administration is indifferent to multilateral blocs and that the excitement and continuity of the meeting of foreign ministers of the “Quadrilateral mechanism” on January 21st has been replaced by uncertainty, the future of the quadrilateral mechanism is in doubt.