Japan PM backs QUAD alliance with India, US, Australia; warns China of 'free Indo-Pacific'

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison agreed to expand the Quad cooperation in the areas of defence and security amid rising threat from China. Abe held a video conference with Morrison on July 9 and exchanged their views on the current state of East China Sea, the South China Sea, and the Pacific Island region for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, also known as Quad, is an informal strategic forum between India, US, Japan, and Australia. Abe said that the leaders agreed to expand cooperation, including in the areas of defence and security between Japan and Australia as well as under Japan-Australia-U.S-India frameworks.

Recently, Morrison had raised concern over the tensions related to rising territorial claims across the Indo-Pacific region, citing the ongoing tension between India and China. Announcing Australia’s 2020 Defence Strategic Update, Morrison had highlighted the importance of preparing for a post-COVID world that is “poorer”, more “dangerous and disorderly”.

Morrison said that Australia must face the reality that the country moved into a “new and less benign strategic area” and the cooperation that have benefited prosperity and security for decades are now under increasing and almost irreversible strain. He added that the Indo-Pacific has become the epicentre of rising strategic competition and Australian will “shape the future”.

“Tensions over territorial claims are rising across the Indo-Pacific region, as we have seen recently on the disputed border between India and China, and the South China Sea, and the East China Sea,” said Morrison.

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Reaffirm Quad commitment

After the virtual meeting with Japanese PM, Australia’s Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that the leaders welcomed the inaugural Japan-Australia-India-United States ministerial meeting in September 2019, and reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing quadrilateral consultations.

“The leaders committed to continue to work together through various bilateral and plurilateral mechanisms, including the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue with the United States and trilateral meetings with India,” the statement read.

Abe and Morrison reaffirmed their strong opposition to any "coercive or unilateral actions" aimed at changing the status quo or increasing tensions in the East and South China Seas. Expressing serious concerns over continued militarisation in the disputed features of the region, the leaders reiterated that freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea must be respected.

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