What makes China nervous ? Beijing and eco system mocks Quad, says it cannot 'harm' China

"Another chapter in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia!

PM Narendra Modi and Scott Morrison (Australia PM) met today. Discussed regional & global developments as well as ongoing bilateral cooperation in areas related to Covid-19, trade, defence, clean energy & more." 

(Of course, Australia is a major partner in Quad) 

 Quad is in news obviously before the first in-person Quad Summit.
Meanwhile, China is betraying nervousness.

'Global Times' has run an edit and also carries a caricature trying to draw some fun.

Global Times creativity 

"While the Quad mechanism is engaged in splitting Asia and instigating various forces to contain China, if Japan, India and Australia went too far in following the US strategy of containing China, they will become cannon fodder as China will resolutely safeguard its interests, Chinese analysts warned." - says Global Times

The First Quad Summit meet in person will be hosted by US President Joe Biden and will also be attended by two Prime MInisters of Australia and Japan - Scot Morrison and Yoshihide Suga.

The Quad Leaders will review progress made since their first virtual Summit on March 12, 2021 and discuss regional issues of shared interest.

"As part of their ongoing efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, they will review the Quad Vaccine initiative which was announced in March this year. They will also exchange views on contemporary global issues such as critical and emerging technologies, connectivity and infrastructure, cyber security, maritime security, humanitarian assistance / disaster relief, climate change and education," an MEA statement said. 

The Summit would provide a valuable opportunity for dialogue and interactions among the Leaders,  anchored in their shared vision of ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. 

Of course, Afghanistan will figure prominently.

At least 14 members of the Taliban's interim government in Kabul are on UNSC terrorism blacklist, including acting prime minister Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund and his two deputies.

Specially designated global terrorist Sirajuddin Haqqani, who carries a US reward of $10 million on his head, is the acting interior minister while his uncle Khalil Haqqani has been named as acting minister for refugees. Acting defence minister Mullah Yaqoob, acting foreign minister Mullah Ameer Khan Muttaqi and his deputy Stanizkai are also listed.

The United States has asked the UNSC to extend sanctions waiver for a number of 'Taliban officials' to travel abroad for discussions. 

The waiver on Taliban leaders travel was to end on September 20 and there was request for it to be extended to December 22. 

The four countries understand or have already experienced the "risks" posed by China’s rise over the last few years.

For Australia, the concerns are over trade dependency on China, and China’s sharp power projection and rising influence in the South Pacific. 

India has experienced for last two decades or so and seen China take control of 'strategic locations' in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region. 

Japan also faces security challenges from China in the East China Sea. And for the US, the list of concerns on multiple fronts.  

But Quad has come a long way braving hurdles and odds. 

The Manmohan Singh-led Indian government  thought it in a precarious position over the nuclear deal with the US and discussions on Quad. There was growing support in the US of a partnership with India through the Quad, New Delhi under Congress had to still pretend over Non-alignment policies - whatever they meant.

Japan also faced compulsions that limited its engagement in the Quad. The resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007, a key champion of the Quad, only weakened the project further.

On Taliban front, China made a 180-day extension proposal to the India-headed UN Sanctions Committee, but other members were not so enthusiastic ad wanted Taliban under 'careful monitoring'.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said ahead of his trip to Washington that "The changing power balance brought by the rise of China in the Indo-Pacific, along with the increasing inward focus spurred by the pandemic have increased uncertainty." He also said China's growing military strength "could present a risk" Japan's peace and prosperity."

- Global Times edit says:

"The Quad mechanism itself can do no harm to China. This is because it may form a siege of China, but will never block China's long-lasting development and rise, or Chinese people's diligence and resolve to make progress. This also applies to AUKUS. Nonetheless, these new alliances have declared the start of the era of conflicts and confrontations. They will bring about macro and profound changes to spheres from global structure to codes of conduct.


The Asia-Pacific region needs to struggle with the "sinister gang" represented by the Quad and AUKUS, giving geopolitical hysteria no chance to destroy the future of the Asia-Pacific. Although the Quad claims to be a values-based alliance, the members obviously know they are engaging in controversy and creating strategic risks."

Modi and Xi Jinping: Testing Times

"Quad members oppose challenges to the maritime rules-based order, particularly in the East and South China seas," Kyodo News said. 

Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday that Suga's remarks and Japanese media's extremely wide coverage on the summit revealed that Japan has pinned much hope on the summit and to some extent Japan's expectations to the summit are even bigger than the US', which will host the meeting. 

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla on Quad: 

This is the first plurilateral engagement of President Biden. It signalled the priority that his administration accorded to the QUAD and it was also the first meeting of QUAD leaders and meet virtually. We see the QUAD is a partnership among four like minded countries, in the pursuit of common interests in striving for a free open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. At the summit in March, the leaders had announced a broad array of initiatives including on vaccines, infrastructure, emerging technologies and climate change. 

The four leaders will share views and perspectives on the regional situation and the emerging challenges including in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific region on how to work together to contain COVID-19, evolve a common approach to emerging technologies and a means of addressing climate change. The leaders will take stock of progress made since the March summit especially in the COVID-19 vaccine partnership, they will identify new areas of cooperation that will reinforce the positive and constructive agenda of the port, including contemporary areas that will benefit the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.

As you know, the QUAD has acquired momentum in the recent past and has been seen as a natural evolution and elevation to the apex level. In view the fact that the four countries share core attributes such as democracy, commitment to pluralism, market based economic principles, they also have a shared vision of a free and open inclusive Indo-Pacific region to add prosperity to that as well and with respect for international law. 

This is a region that is home to all the four countries represented in the QUAD, and many partners including the ASEAN, which is central to Indo-Pacific outreach, are a very important part of that overall effort. India's approach to the Indo-Pacific was enunciated by the Prime Minister in his speech at the Shangri La dialogue in 2018, when he also expounded on his vision of SAGAR or Security And Growth for All in the Region.