QUAD Summit: “Concerns About South China Sea”
Leaders from the USA, Japan, Australia, and India gathered in Delaware
The meeting of QUAD leaders in Delaware, USA, expressed “grave concern” about the situation in the South China Sea and, without mentioning China, hinted at “coercive and intimidating maneuvers” in the area.
QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) is an informal alliance comprising the USA, Australia, Japan, and India that focuses on trying to contain China’s growing power in the South Pacific, a crucial area of global trade.
The leaders announced joint coast guard operations and increased cooperation in military logistics for 2025, as well as plans to expand the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, a strategy launched in 2023 that also includes an alliance of the USA, Japan, and South Korea with the Camp David Principles, increased Indian influence in the region, and renewed dialog with the Philippines and ASEAN countries.
Chinese President Xi Jinping says QUAD is nothing more than an attempt to encircle Beijing and escalate the conflict between the sides. China claims most of the South China Sea, including some territories claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam. However, in the East China Sea, there is a dispute over some maritime territories with Japan and Taiwan, the latter considered Chinese territory by Beijing.
