Recently, President Biden of the United States hosted the final Quadrilateral Security Dialogue summit of his tenure. Due to Biden not turning off his microphone, the content of the closed-door meeting unexpectedly leaked. Biden candidly stated that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been behaving aggressively in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and other regions, testing the United States. Whether Biden’s “slip-up” was intentional or unintentional has sparked speculation. Some experts suggest that it may be a diplomatic tactic of showing a “soft and hard stance,” clearly pointing out that the true contradiction between the CCP and democratic countries stems from its expansionist nature.
On September 21, President Biden, along with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, held the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue near Wilmington, Delaware.
After the opening remarks to the media concluded, during the closed-door meeting when the microphone was not turned off, Biden’s comments about the three leaders were recorded by the media. Biden said, “China (CCP) continues to show an aggressive attitude, testing us in the entire region, in the South China Sea, East China Sea, South Asia, and Taiwan Strait.”
He explained, “At least from our standpoint, we believe Xi Jinping is trying to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimize turmoil in diplomatic relations. I think he also wants to secure some diplomatic space for himself to actively pursue the interests of China (CCP).”
Regarding the leak of the closed-door discussions, the White House stated that the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is not directed at any other country, and the CCP should not take issue with it.
Su Ziyun, Director of the Institute for National Defense and Security Studies at Taiwan’s Defense and Security Research Institute, told Epoch Times, “Perhaps it’s a diplomatic maneuver, whether Biden did it intentionally or unintentionally, he has conveyed the message. Following it up with a cautious explanation, this equates to a ‘soft and hard’ approach. The ‘soft and hard’ approach is not exclusive to the CCP. Biden has clarified that the CCP is testing the boundaries aggressively, clearly indicating the true contradiction between Beijing and democratic countries, which stems from Beijing (CCP)’s expansionism. This is a key point.”
Sun Guoxiang, a professor in the Department of International Affairs and Business at Taiwan’s Nanhua University, told Epoch Times, “Regarding the CCP’s military provocations in sensitive areas such as the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, on one hand, the United States aims to show a firm stance to protect the rules-based international order and allies, while on the other hand, it seeks to avoid escalating conflicts that could lead to uncontrollable consequences, in line with Biden’s commitment to ‘manage’ U.S.-China strategic competition.”
The joint statement released after the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue summit did not name the CCP. It expressed “serious concerns about the militarization of disputed features and the coercion and intimidation actions in the South China Sea” and condemned the “dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, including an increasing number of provocative actions,” reaffirming that maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The statement mentioned that the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue reached a new Maritime Security Initiative (MAITRI) for the Indo-Pacific region. It announced that the coast guards of the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India plan to launch the first Quadrilateral maritime joint patrol operations in 2025 to enhance cooperation and maritime security, continuing to carry out more missions in the Indo-Pacific region in the coming years. The statement also announced that the Quadrilateral partners will further expand cooperation in areas such as health security, humanitarian aid and disaster relief, infrastructure, critical and emerging technologies, climate and clean energy, cyber, and space, reaffirming firm support for ASEAN and committing to enhancing cooperation with Pacific Island countries and the Indian Ocean region.
Su Ziyun said, “In the South China Sea and other maritime areas, the CCP also knows it currently doesn’t have the upper hand. The CCP’s coast guard poses a significant threat, serving as an important tool used by Beijing to suppress other countries’ legitimate maritime interests.” He stated that initiating joint maritime patrol operations of the four countries serves as a dual deterrent to the CCP. Firstly, it demonstrates the unity of allies in diplomatic and security matters, making it clear to the CCP that it won’t be able to break them apart. Secondly, India’s involvement in concrete actions presents a significant blow to the CCP.
Su Ziyun explained, “Because India is currently a rising major power, a significant neighbor to China with border disputes, rapidly catching up with China economically, and is the country with the world’s largest population, possessing a demographic dividend. Under these circumstances, it brings a counterforce to the CCP in terms of not only military and security but also in economic aspects, sending a clear deterrent signal to the CCP.”
Just days before the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue summit, a meeting was held to mark the 3rd anniversary of the trilateral security partnership formed by Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS). The joint statement issued by AUKUS leaders on September 17 indicated that after announcing priority admission of Japan for high-tech cooperation in April this year, AUKUS is currently discussing potential cooperation opportunities with Canada, New Zealand, and South Korea, further expanding partnership.
Established in September 2021, AUKUS consists of the first and second pillars. The first pillar is to assist Australia in developing nuclear-powered submarines armed with conventional weapons and enhance Australia’s nuclear capabilities, while the second pillar involves cooperation in high-tech areas such as hypersonic weapons, quantum computing, artificial intelligence (AI), electronic warfare, underwater capabilities, among others. The first pillar will continue to maintain the trilateral cooperation among Australia, the UK, and the US.
The AUKUS joint statement mentions that AUKUS is jointly exploring cooperation opportunities with Japan to begin with “enhancing Maritime Autonomy Systems (MAS) collaborative operations.” Additionally, given that Canada, New Zealand, and South Korea have close bilateral defense cooperation with each “AUKUS member,” AUKUS is discussing potential cooperative projects in advanced capabilities with these three countries.
Sun Guoxiang stated, “The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and AUKUS are important alliances aimed at countering the CCP’s military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region. Their recent plans demonstrate the allied determination to strengthen deterrence in the region. These two alliances, while enhancing military cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, will be crucial forces for regional stability in the future. The advancement at this time also implies that the upcoming US presidential election will not affect the subsequent progress of these two mechanisms.”
Su Ziyun mentioned that in recent years, democratic forces surrounding the CCP have been gathering in the Indo-Pacific region, which can be summarized as an alliance of “one, two, three, four, five.” One refers to the security system with the US at its core, two involves bilateral defense treaties such as US-South Korea, US-Japan, and US-Philippines, three is AUKUS, consisting of the US, UK, and Australia, which should now include Japan for deeper technological cooperation. Four signifies the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, and five is the Five Eyes alliance. Layering these alliances forms a deterrent force against the CCP, preventing it from launching military actions with the current level of deterrence, extending beyond military aspects to technology, economy, among other areas.