QUAD nations meet in Beijing, send strong message to China

Beijing: In a strong message to China amid heightened tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, the ambassadors of the member nations of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) alliance — India, US, Australia and Japan — convened a rare public meeting in Beijing.

What did the US envoy say?

Following Tuesday’s event, David Perdue, the US Ambassador to China, announced that the QUAD alliance is a "force for good" which intends to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

"It is a pleasure to meet with the ambassadors of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue countries in Beijing. The relations among the four countries—the United States, Australia, India, and Japan—continue to be stable and strong," he said in a statement on social media platform X.

Perdue’s social media post also featured a picture of the four ambassadors of the QUAD member nations at the US Embassy in Beijing.

Pradeep Kumar Rawat, the Indian ambassador to China also attended the meeting.

What is the significance of the QUAD meet?

The meeting by the envoys of the QUAD member nations comes amid heightened tensions with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China holding large-scale military exercises around Taiwan in an attempt to intimidate the island nation. This  aggressive posture of China on Taiwan – which the Chinese government regards as a breakaway province - has also led to tensions with Japan. 
Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi had asserted earlier this month that Japan may respond with its own self-defence force if China decided to attack Taiwan.

How did China react?

Tuesday’s QUAD meet in Beijing assumes extra significance amid all this since China views the group as a US-backed effort to counter Chinese domination in the Indo-Pacific region. 

While the QUAD nations have held meetings in Beijing in the past, the timing of Tuesday's meet stood out due to recent tensions. The state-controlled South China Morning Post said that the meeting appeared to be an attempt to project unity and deterrence of the QUAD group at a time when China is conducting military drills around Taiwan.

The newspaper, regarded as the official mouthpiece of the Chinese government, also questioned what it termed the QUAD’s struggle for relevance and delays in holding planned meetings.