Quad countries attack China without name

Leaders of the Quad countries, an informal alliance between Australia, India, Japan and the United States, criticized China without naming it during the G7 summit in Hiroshima (Japan) on Saturday.

US President Joe Biden and the other three Quad leaders did not specifically mention China, but the Asian giant was the target of a statement calling for “peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region”.

“We firmly oppose any destabilizing or unilateral actions aimed at changing the status quo by force or coercion,” the statement said in a thinly veiled reference to China’s actions in this region of the world, considered a source of instability in the West. .

“We express deep concern over the militarization of disputed areas, the risky use of military or coast guard vessels, and attempts to disrupt the exploitation of marine resources by other countries,” the text added. Beijing harasses ships in waters it claims, including the South China Sea.

The leaders of the Quad met on the sidelines of the summit of the G7 countries (the United States, Germany, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Italy).

Quad countries have also come out in support of the development of infrastructure projects in the Asia-Pacific region, as long as they don’t impose too much debt on the beneficiary countries, another reference to the criticism against China-funded development projects in Asia. Or the Pacific.

Projects the Quad protects include building submarine cable networks in the Indo-Pacific region or assisting in the fight against illegal fishing.

Quad leaders said they were “deeply concerned” by the crackdown by Myanmar’s ruling military junta and condemned North Korea’s missile launches and continued nuclear program.