Quad meeting in Tokyo

[thomas]

Australia, India, Japan, and the US concluded their Quad meeting in Tokyo yesterday. Quad stands for "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue". The Tokyo summit was intended to counter advances made by China, although the joint statement did not mention China. Neither did it mention Russia but it did refer to the "conflict" in Ukraine. "Conflict" replaced the word "invasion" in the first draft, out of consideration for India's neutrality. The May 24 session in Tokyo brought together Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and newly-elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Biden spent most of his opening statement criticizing Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The joint statement issued by the four leaders also touched upon the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. But the statement only said the four leaders "reiterated our strong resolve to maintain peace and stability in the region." It did not name Russia. The statement was also much weaker than what Kishida said at the joint news conference with Biden the previous day. The Japanese leader criticized "unilateral attempts to change the status quo using force, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine." The word "invasion" was replaced with "conflict" in the statement. As host of the Quad meeting, Kishida said at a news conference on May 24, "During the session in which India participated, concerns were expressed about the tragic conflict." Due to the long historical ties between India and Russia, India has not openly criticized the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The exclusion of Russia's name from the Quad joint statement shows the consideration given to India by the three other nations. The four leaders did agree to provide at least $50 billion (about 6.3 trillion yen) for infrastructure support and investment in the Indo-Pacific region over a five-year period.

Quad joint statement avoids any mention of Russia, China | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

Air Force One landing in Yokota AFB on Sunday:




During the meeting both the Russians and the Chinese sent their long-range bombers/reconnaissance planes:

Russian, Chinese bombers fly near Japan during Quad summit | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

And let's not forget Rocket Man:

North Korea launches apparent ICBM, a day after Biden departs Asia

South Korea's military said its nuclear-armed neighbor had launched an apparent long-range missile just a day after U.S. leader Joe Biden wrapped up his first visit to Asia as president.

www.japantimes.co.jp