A day after the first Quad leaders’ summit, another first: the quartet—U.S. President Joe Biden, India’s PM Narendra Modi and his Japanese and Australian counterparts Yoshihide Suga and Scott Morrison, respectively—strung their thoughts into a written piece that was published in the ‘The Washington Post ‘. The title—‘Our four nations are committed to a free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region’—tried to drive the message home, and beyond.
There was no explicit mention of China though. “We are striving to ensure that the Indo-Pacific is accessible and dynamic, governed by international law and bedrock principles such as freedom of navigation and peaceful resolution of disputes, and that all countries are able to make their own political choices, free from coercion. In recent years, that vision has increasingly been tested.”
The immediate priorities were listed, with an open invitation to collaboration: “Ending and recovering from the pandemic, standing up to climate change, and advancing our shared regional vision will not be easy. The Quad is a flexible group of like-minded partners dedicated to advancing a common vision and to ensuring peace and prosperity. We welcome and will seek opportunities to work with all of those who share in those goals.”
The article ended with a recommitment to an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, secure and prosperous. Again, no names taken but the message shouldn’t miss the mark.
