Opinion | Quad makes it clear to China it’s much more than ‘sea foam’
While Beijing initially dismissed the notion of the Quad, it now sees the grouping as a formidable force to reckon with in the coming years
China remains the invisible elephant in the room, often alluded to but not explicitly mentioned by name. It is instructive that the only references to “China” in the lengthy joint statement were by way of the East and South China Seas.
However, the most substantive takeaway from the summit came from an unintended moment. In an audio feed not meant for public consumption, Biden was overheard telling the other leaders that President Xi Jinping was “looking to buy himself some diplomatic space, in my view, to aggressively pursue China’s interest”. He added that China “continues to behave aggressively, testing us all across the region” on several fronts, “including on economic and technology issues”.
Beijing denounced the summit, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian accusing the Quad of being “a tool the US uses to contain China and perpetuate US hegemony”. Lin noted: “Though the US claims that it does not target China, the first topic of the summit is about China and China was made an issue throughout the event. The US is lying through its teeth.”
