Last week marked the first time that the 4 heads of states of the US, India, Japan, and Australia met as part of a newly impactful Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or "Quad" alliance. The alliance was initially created to coordinate efforts to deal with the fallout of a 9.1-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami that devastated Indonesia in 2004, but has recently become more focused on deterring a more ambitious and antagonistic China. The alliance fragmented in 2007 after Australia and India largely withdrew from efforts to deter China within the Quad alliance structure amid fears of escalating tensions with China, but started to come back together during the Trump presidency, and is now, under Biden, leading to substantive actions; the alliance is helping to fund COVID vaccination efforts in India, and is building a supply chain of rare-earth metals to disrupt China's growing supremacy in the manufacturing of smartphones and batteries. The symbolism of all 4 heads of state meeting cannot be denied either; it is clear that the Quad will have a heightened role in fighting China's growing influence, both globally and in the Indo-Pacific region.
link: https://www.vox.com/22325328/biden-quad-japan-australia-india-vaccine-rare-earth
Matt Jett #5
No comments:
Post a Comment