Recently, US President Biden invited the leaders of Japan, India, and Australia to a closed-door summit, where Biden stated that “the Chinese Communist Party is acting aggressively and testing us,” a remark that was unexpectedly exposed and strongly protested by Beijing. Analysts believe that Western leaders have now firmly classified China as a “threat,” a stance that Beijing has brought upon itself with its aggressive actions, prompting the United States and its allies to both seek de-escalation of tensions and prepare for the worst.
Last Saturday (21st), the “Quad Security Dialogue” summit was held at a high school in Wilmington, where President Biden attended. Biden, Indian Prime Minister Modi, Australian Prime Minister Albanese, and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida attended and issued a joint statement of nearly 5700 words after a day of closed-door meetings.
The statement emphasized that as the four leading maritime democracies in the Indo-Pacific region, they are committed to upholding peace and stability in the dynamic region, crucial for global security and prosperity.
They strongly oppose any disruptive or unilateral actions seeking to change the status quo through force or coercion. The statement condemned recent illegal missile launches in the region violating UN Security Council resolutions. Expressing serious concerns about recent dangerous and aggressive actions in maritime areas, they strive for a region where no country dominates or is dominated, ensuring that all countries can freely determine their own futures without being threatened.
This joint statement did not directly mention China. Prior to the summit, the White House emphasized that the Quad talks are not targeted at any specific country, and reassured that China has no need to worry.
On Monday (23rd), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian accused the United States, urging them to abandon their obsession with “containment and suppression of China,” cease embellishing various “small circles” strategic attempts, and more.
Taiwan’s National Defense Security Research Institute’s Director of Strategy and Resources, Su Ziyun, told Epoch Times that Beijing has only itself to blame, as it is evident from these remarks that no other country fits the criteria, making it clear that China is seen as a “threat” by other nations, not just Taiwan.
“Especially in the first island chain, as well as the Western Pacific including the maritime lifelines of Japan and South Korea, the Philippines’ maritime interests in the South China Sea, and maritime transport in various Western Pacific countries have all faced severe threats from China, this is evident,” Su Ziyun analyzed.
Professor Chen Bingda from the Department of Diplomacy at National Chengchi University also told Epoch Times that the Quad talks deliberately avoided mentioning China, whether in summits, ministerial meetings, or working-level meetings, all documents would steer clear of referencing China or its regional threats.
He believes that it is clear that the leaders of the four countries did not want to specifically provoke China from the outset. Despite the fact that China is aware that the security issues discussed in the Quad talks are all related to it, it shows that the Quad talks are not a security forum targeted at China but rather a gathering of the four countries to address their security concerns.
Moreover, during the closed-door meeting, Biden’s inadvertent exposure of internal discussions due to an open microphone led to further revelations. Several media outlets reported that Biden stated his administration views Beijing’s recent actions, including displays of military might, as a “strategic change, not a strategic shift.”
“China (CCP) continues to display an aggressive attitude, probing us throughout the region, in the South China Sea, East China Sea, South Asia, and the Taiwan Strait, in all aspects of our relationship, including economic and technological issues,” Biden reportedly said.
Su Ziyun analyzed, “This is tantamount to Biden and Western leaders speaking candidly because Biden forgot to turn off the microphone during the meeting, revealing to other leaders that China is acting aggressively in the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, and even in the Pacific.”
“This certainly firmly classifies China as a threat. From around 2021, gradually both the political and military sectors in the United States started to see China as a clear threat, with only the State Department maintaining some restraint, acknowledging Beijing as a challenger and that there is competition but should also involve cooperation.”
“However, with Beijing’s wolf warrior posture, and military expansionism, by July this year, NATO directly stated at a summit in Washington that China is the future’s biggest threat, supporting Russia, and so on.”
Su Ziyun said, “In the European Union elections in July, Von der Leyen was reelected, and one of her policy platforms is to prevent China from using military force to invade Taiwan. From this summit, it is quite clear that Western countries see China as a threat.”
During the Quad summit, Biden further mentioned that amid fierce competition with China (CCP), there is also a need for robust diplomacy. “At least from our perspective, we believe that (CCP leader) Xi Jinping is trying to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimize turmoil in China’s foreign relations, and in my view, he also hopes to secure some diplomatic space for himself.”
The Biden administration has been seeking to ease tensions between the United States and China, engaging in talks on multiple fronts. Su Ziyun believes that Beijing has shaped China into what is called the “China threat theory,” so in this situation, although Biden inadvertently revealed the West’s true stance, officially, he still hopes that Beijing can become a responsible major power open to dialogue.
Chen Bingda also stated, “I think it has shown initial results. In order to ease the tense situation, Washington has indeed made a lot of efforts in contacts, whether it be mutual visits of officials or contact between defense officials of both sides, which are rare breakthroughs in the current state of deterioration and instability in Sino-US relations.”
“And this breakthrough does not mean that China and the US will coexist peacefully, but that they have started to talk, which is beneficial for dispelling misunderstandings and tensions. So, I believe that this is what the Biden administration is still doing in terms of what the executive branch can do.”
Regarding US foreign policy, Su Ziyun believes that for decades, the United States has maintained the same approach, “In terms of security policy, it always keeps the possibility of dialogue open and is always prepared for the worst strategically. Hence, Admiral Paparo of the Indo-Pacific Command stated that if (CCP) attacks Taiwan, turning the Taiwan Strait into a hellish scene.”
In June this year, the Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Paparo, told the media that if China attacks Taiwan, “I want to turn the Taiwan Strait into a hell full of unmanned drone ships.”
Su Ziyun said, “This is the strategic culture of the United States, always being prepared for the worst-case scenario and the best-case scenario, but always leaving room, i.e., not resorting to the use of force easily until the last moment.”
“Just from Xi Jinping taking office in 2012 until now, it is very clear that Beijing is flexing its muscles everywhere, so I think this is part of diplomatic negotiation, both sides are in a confrontation, and in this regard, I think no matter the US election, whether it’s [Hillary] Clinton or Trump elected, the US-China relationship can never return to what it was before.”
In the latest Quad statement, the four parties reached a new Indo-Pacific Maritime Training Initiative (MAITRI) through dialogues and announced that the coast guards of the US, Japan, Australia, and India plan to launch the first Quad maritime vessel observation mission in 2025 to enhance cooperation capability and maritime security and continue to undertake more missions in the Indo-Pacific region in the coming years.