Australia weighing closer democratic ties Indian and Japam to rebuff China : Aussia Media

Source:-Australia weighing closer democratic ties Indian and Japam to rebuff China : Aussia Media

Acting Prime Minister Julie Bishop has signalled Australia is open to reviving plans for a sensitive four-way diplomatic and security co-operation with the United States, India and Japan – an arrangement that has historically angered China, which sees it as a containment strategy.

It is understood that Ms Bishop recently discussed with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono the prospect of setting up formal four-way meetings among the major democracies – known as the “quadrilateral dialogue” – and how to encourage India’s involvement.

Acting Prime Minister Julie Bishop has signalled Australia is open to reviving plans for a sensitive four-way diplomatic and security co-operation with the United States, India and Japan – an arrangement that has historically angered China, which sees it as a containment strategy.

It is understood that Ms Bishop recently discussed with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono the prospect of setting up formal four-way meetings among the major democracies – known as the “quadrilateral dialogue” – and how to encourage India’s involvement.

References to the rules-based order tend to be veiled references to China, which faces frequent criticism for its attempts to seize or build island territory and use it to establish maritime control that is not recognised by international law.

The quadrilateral idea – which has a chequered, stop-start history among the four countries – is highly sensitive because China views it as a strategy to contain it in security, economic and diplomatic terms.

A dialogue would institute regular formal talks between the four democracies, though it is likely to proceed gently. The former Howard government signed up but its successor, the Rudd government, abruptly pulled out in 2008 because of fears of upsetting China, which effectively poisoned the idea for years and came to be seen as a diplomatic misstep.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will meet with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in Vietnam the week after next and the issue is likely to be discussed then, along with major topics such as North Korea and Islamist extremism in south east Asia.

Separately during a press conference in Perth, Ms Bishop said of the quadrilateral dialogue that “there is nothing formal, there’s been no decision made on that”.

Japan, traditionally the most enthusiastic of the four countries, has launched a strong push in the wake of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s thumping re-election.

Mr Kono said a week ago that Tokyo wanted the four countries to work together to promote free trade and defence co-operation across the Indo-Pacific region, which would counteract Beijing’s “belt and road” initiative, which is exerting influence through the building of Chinese security and trade infrastructure.

The US has even more recently expressed enthusiasm, with senior State Department official Alice Wells saying late last week that economic and military co-operation between the US, Japan and India had been very productive and “obviously, Australia would be a natural partner in that effort as well”.

“We’re looking at a working-level quadrilateral meeting in the near term,” she said. “I think the idea is, how do we bring together countries that share these same values to reinforce these values in the global architecture?”

She denied it was aimed at containing China but specifically said the four democracies could provide infrastructure funding across the Indo-Pacific region in a way that was transparent and would not load developing countries with unsustainable debt.

Mr Tillerson is understood also to favour a formal dialogue.

India has traditionally been more cautious. But some Indian media reports have indicated the government of Narendra Modi is adjusting to the idea. Fairfax Media understands that Ms Bishop, Mr Tillerson and Mr Kono discussed the issue on the sidelines of a recent meeting. The suggestion that India should join was raised in those discussions.

Mr Trump’s first official visit to Asia will kick of later this week and take him to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. A senior White House official said during a phone briefing on Monday night that the President’s message during his Asia visit would likely cover the need for infrastructure development financing “that is consistent with market competition, transparency and high standards of good governance”.

 

 

 

 

Source:- South China Morning Post

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