#24 AUKUS, Quad leaders Summit, India-US bilateral meeting, North Korea’s missile launch, Kishida to become Japan’s new PM, cybersecurity strategy.
Here is a brief on the biweekly( 15th- 30th, Sep.).
Fumio Kishida to become the next Prime Minister of Japan.
QUAD Summit happened on the 24th of Sep. in Washington DC.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Quad as a “force for global good.”
AUKUS, a trilateral security pact, was signed between the US, the UK, and Australia
Japan names China, Russia and North Korea as its threat in its draft cyber security strategy.
Japan’s New PM:
Fumio Kishida, Japan’s former minister, is set to become the next Prime Minister of Japan. The US administration under the presidency of Joe Biden is to closely watch Kishida and is looking at forging close ties with him given the importance of the US-Japan bilateral relationship & growing tensions with China. In addition, hopes have been placed high on Kishida in solving North Korea’s abduction of Japanese nationals. The issue has remained unsolved by previous leaders like Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga. During his tenure as foreign minister, Kishida has experience holding negotiation talks with North Korea over the abduction issues and requesting to abandon nuclear developments.
QUAD summit & developments.
QUAD Summit: Following the first online QUAD meeting this year in March, a face-to-face meeting was held on the 24th of Sep. in Washington DC. The leaders of Australia, India, the US and Japan participated in the summit. The agenda of the QUAD initially focused on strengthening strategic defence cooperation. However, it has now widened to include climate change, sharing emerging technologies like 5G and AI, cyber security, terrorism, infrastructure development, etc. In addition, the quad leaders had discussed and agreed on the following: promoting a free, open, rules-based order, and COVID-19 vaccination efforts will start cooperation in space and share satellite data, bolster supply chain security for semiconductors, and collaborate towards denuclearization of North Korea.
QUAD leaders on Terrorism: The joint message regarding cross-border terrorism delivered at the India-US bilateral summit and the QUAD meeting was the same. The QUAD leaders had asked the Taliban to abide by the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2593 (2021). Furthermore, the participating nations vowed to strive towards an inclusive and peaceful future for all Afghans. In Afghanistan, India and Japan were involved in development efforts while the US and Australia had mainly military engagements. However, under the US presidency of Joe Biden, with the recent disengagement of the US from Afghanistan, it will be a wait and watch the situation as to how the QUAD countries will engage in the Afpak(Afghanistan & Pakistan) related issues in the future.
QUAD leaders on Technology: It was the first time to talk about extending cooperation in technology areas. They expressed their willingness to develop common standards for critical technology areas. The focus areas were technical standards, 5G diversification and deployment and technology supply chains. Plans to set up contact groups on Advanced Communications and Artificial Intelligence are also developments from the meeting.
PM Modi’s remark at the summit: At the summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of the Quad as a “force for global good”. While the US president Joe Biden said, the four democracies have taken on common challenges from Covid to climate. “We know how to get things done and are up to the challenge."
China’s perception of the QUAD: Speaking of the Quad summit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “It is China’s consistent belief that any regional cooperation mechanism should follow the trend of peace and development, and help promote mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries rather than target the third party or undermine its interests.” He mentioned that the Quad group was “close and exclusive clique” that was “doomed to fail”.
Experts opinion of the QUAD: In an op-ed article in “the Hindu”, titled “improving the economic game”, the QUAD is envisioned to drive business partnerships and economic engagements, thereby catalyzing the economic development of the nations. “As a grouping of like-minded nations working on shared objectives in the Indo-Pacific region, the Quad is a formidable economic force that can deliver many gains on the identified pillars for the participating nations as well as the region. By adding businesses into its strategy mix, its initiatives would be further fortified and expanded. We hope that the governments would consider a forum for such private sector engagement.”
In another op-ed article in “the Hindu”, titled “the QUAD could end up running out of steam”, the setback that QUAD might face on the formation of the AUKUS has been discussed. The article’s summary is as follows: The establishment of AUKUS is compelling India to refurbish her defence engagement perspective in the QUAD alliance. If the country does not explore the possible security utility within the QUAD framework, India’s interest in the Indo-Pacific region will be troubled. With its clear set of activities, AUKUS is likely to swoop into the military domain of the area that has not been a significant agenda of QUAD, which may then stand diluted.
Foreign Affairs.
AUKUS: AUKUS, a pact seeking to reshape indo-pacific ties, was recently signed in before the Quad summit. It is a trilateral security partnership between the US, the UK, and Australia. By the pact, Australia will gain access to nuclear-powered submarine technology from the US and the UK. Speaking of the AUKUS, Pratyush Rao, director for South Asia at the Control Risks consultancy, said, “the two forums, Aukus and the QUAD, would also complement one another by demonstrating the countries' commitment to regional security in the Indo-Pacific”.
US-India bilateral Summit: Before the Quad summit, the India-US bilateral meeting took place at the Oval office. Welcoming Modi to the meet, Biden said it would start a new chapter in the US-India relationship. The key topics covered in the bilateral meeting were: Af-Pak issues, COVID-19, climate change, QUAD, transformative India-US partnership.
China bids to join TPP: China had expressed interest in joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership by filing a request. The TPP includes nations such as Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. To join the pact, China needs the unanimous approval of all 11 members. Speaking on China’s bid, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said, “We must thoroughly assess whether China is ready to fulfil the high-standard rules of the TPP-11”. Meanwhile, China had firmly opposed Taiwan’s bid to join the TPP. On the other hand, Japan had mentioned that it has no technical problem with Taiwan joining the TPP.
Defence.
Japan condemns North Korea on missile launch: North Korea had launched a hypersonic missile, the Hwasong-8. The development comes within two weeks since it has test-fired its first missile during this year. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato condemned the missile launch, called it "extremely regrettable,” and violated UN resolutions. Meanwhile, the top officials from South Korea, the US and Japan held telephone talks. According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, they had agreed to achieve denuclearization of North Korea through trilateral cooperation. Also, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirmed close cooperation in dealing with North Korea. On similar lines, Suga had also spoken to the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Japan and Britain to draft a new agreement: The UK and Japan have started talks regarding the Japan-Britain Reciprocal Access Agreement to expand the scope of defence cooperation. The Agreement would enhance interoperability and collaboration between the armed forces of the UK and Japan.
Technology.
A Cyberspace agreement: The Japanese government drafted a cyber security strategy in which it had mentioned China, Russia and North Korea as its threat in cyberspace. It was said in the draft strategy that “Japan will accelerate cooperation in the cyber field with its partners in the Quad framework -- the United States, Australia and India -- as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
Abducting Japanese citizens by North Korea is still happening ??? The Author is summing up the happenings very nicely. Easy to read!