The US and Its Allies Are Escalating the Situation in the South China Sea
From left to right Australian PM Anthony Albanese, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, Indian PM Narendra Modi, and U.S. President Joe Biden. X/ @RadioFreeAsia
September 23, 2024 Hour: 6:06 am
The ‘Quad alliance’ announced an expansion of the maritime collaboration they had agreed upon in 2022 in Japan.
On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated that the situation in the South China Sea and the East China Sea is “stable” and accused external countries of forming cliques and “heightening tensions.”
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“Certain countries are intent on interfering in maritime issues around China with new schemes, trying to involve themselves in a group confrontation. They seek to intensify the situation and undermine regional peace and stability,” he said.
The statements follow the announcement by the Quad—an alliance formed by the United States, Japan, India, and Australia—of new initiatives to strengthen their naval cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in response to China’s rise, including the first joint exercises of their coast guards.
On Saturday, the four nations issued a joint statement announcing an expansion of the maritime collaboration they had agreed upon in 2022 in Japan, this time covering a larger area that will now extend from the Pacific to the waters of the Indian Ocean that border India.
“The intervention of any force will not break China’s resolve to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and its maritime rights and interests, nor to maintain regional peace and stability in accordance with the law,” added the Chinese spokesperson, who did not directly refer to the Quad.
However, the spokesperson warned that Beijing would lodge formal complaints against any country that attempts to “undermine China’s security interests.”
One of the most significant new developments from the Quad was the announcement of joint coast guard exercises, which will begin in 2025 and aim to counter Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea.
The announcement of these patrols comes at a time when the South China Sea has increasingly become a hotspot for confrontations between Chinese and Filipino vessels, which could potentially lead to a conflict between Beijing and Washington.
China and the U.S. do not have direct territorial disputes in this strategic sea, but Washington has a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines that obligates it to intervene in the event of a military attack.
In the final statement, there is no mention of China even once. The reason is that publicly Quad members have downplayed the idea that Beijing was the main focus of the summit.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
