Quad countries launch joint maritime patrol activities

By Kate Beddall

Leaders of Australia, the United States, India and Japan have expressed “serious concerns” about “coercive and intimidating manoeuvres” in the South China Sea and announced plans for joint coast guard activities in the region.

The comments were part of a wide-ranging list of initiatives presented at a summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, better known as the Quad, hosted by US President Joe Biden in his home state of Delaware, about 110 miles (177 kilometres) northeast of Washington.

The meeting was the fourth physical Quad leaders’ gathering and came as Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India, Fumio Kishida of Japan and Anthony Albanese of Australia headed to the UN General Assembly, which opens in New York on Monday.

Members of the Indian and Japanese coast guards and the Australian Border Force will sail aboard a U.S. Coast Guard vessel in the Indo-Pacific region as part of “the first-ever Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission in 2025,” according to the summit’s joint statement released Saturday.

“We continue to express serious concerns about the militarization of disputed features and coercive and intimidating maneuvers in the South China Sea,” the report said. “We also oppose efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities.”

None of the information released by the White House about Biden’s weekend diplomacy mentioned China. But he was heard on a hot mic telling colleagues at Saturday night’s summit that “China continues to behave aggressively and is testing us across the region.”

“It applies to the South China Sea, the East China Sea, South China, South Asia and the Taiwan Strait,” Biden said at the meeting in Claymont, Delaware, according to the Associated Press.

China and the Philippines have been engaged in a series of maritime confrontations in Manila’s exclusive economic zone, defined as waters within 200 nautical miles of the Philippine coast. And in early August, two Chinese air force aircraft reportedly harassed a Philippine air force plane during a routine patrol over a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

China claims a large portion of the resource-rich South China Sea, a major trade route for the world. It also includes waters that are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

An earlier Quad initiative helped more than two dozen countries monitor their waters for signs of climate change, natural disasters and illegal activities, a White House fact sheet said.

The Quad will now add electro-optical data and advanced analysis software “to sharpen maritime domain awareness,” and provide training in the use of these tools. The first workshop will be held in India next year.

The summit’s “Wilmington Declaration” also called for an immediate end to violence in Myanmar and a return to inclusive democracy in a country torn by civil war since a bloody coup in 2021.

“The ongoing conflict and instability have serious implications for the region, including increased transnational crime such as cybercrime, illicit drug trafficking and human trafficking. We reiterate our call on all states to prevent the flow of weapons and dual-use material, including aviation fuel,” the statement said.

Before the summit, Biden met one-on-one with each of the visiting leaders at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. Collectively, some called the weekend meetings a farewell summit — a chance for Biden to say goodbye to partners in the final months of his presidency.

When asked whether the Quad would survive the November 5 US presidential election, Biden reportedly replied: “Much longer than November.”

Modi agreed. “Our message is that the Quad is here to stay,” AFP quoted the Indian leader as saying as the summit began at Archmere Academy, a school Biden once attended.

The first Quad summit took place in 2019, but the cooperation has its origins in the four countries’ joint efforts to respond to the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

The Quadlast met in Tokyo in July at the level of foreign ministers.