The leaders of the U.S. Australia, India and Japan, meeting in the Quad format, in person at the White House yesterday, issued a four-page statement afterwards which includes sharp attacks on China, though without actually naming China. It includes the very same catch-phrases about the “rules-based international order” which make it a clear knock-off from the “New Atlantic Charter” which was issued by President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson June 10 in Cardis Bay, Cornwall, showing the British pedigree at the root of the Quad. Biden referred to their Cardis Bay commitment at his in-person meeting with BoJo at the White House Sept. 20, Monday evening.
The new Quad statement says in the first paragraph, “On this historic occasion we recommit to our partnership, and to a region that is a bedrock of our shared security and prosperity—a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is also inclusive and resilient.” In the second paragraph, “Together, we recommit to promoting the free, open, rules-based order, rooted in international law and undaunted by coercion, to bolster security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond...We stand for the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic values, and territorial integrity of states.” The statement also asserts a commitment to work with a “range of partners,” including ASEAN and the EU.
