European US allies to join effort to rein in China
이 글자크기로 변경됩니다.
(예시) 가장 빠른 뉴스가 있고 다양한 정보, 쌍방향 소통이 숨쉬는 다음뉴스를 만나보세요. 다음뉴스는 국내외 주요이슈와 실시간 속보, 문화생활 및 다양한 분야의 뉴스를 입체적으로 전달하고 있습니다.
France is taking part in joint maritime exercises with the members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, known as the Quad for short. Those members are the US, India, Australia and Japan. The big question is whether the Quad’s expansion will create momentum for the US attempt to build a multilateral security alliance against China.
The Hindustan Times and other newspapers reported Monday that the four countries in Quad were taking part in a French-led naval exercise called La Perouse in the Bay of Bengal, lasting for three days, from Monday to Wednesday.
The French ambassador to India said this would be an opportunity for the navies of five countries with shared values to promote maritime cooperation in the “free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
This is the second time La Perouse is being held, following its inaugural session in 2019. But it’s the first time that India has taken part in the exercises.
This is the second joint maritime exercise joined by all four Quad countries following the Malabar Exercise in the Indian Ocean in November 2020.
France is holding this joint exercise with the four Quad countries despite not being a member of the Quad, leading some to infer that the Quad Plus — an expanded version of the Quad — is taking shape.
Exercise organizers said its goal is to strengthen mutual operational abilities in crisis situations, making little attempt to hide that the target is China.
Indeed, the four Quad countries concentrated bilateral joint exercises in the Indo-Pacific region at the end of March, shortly before La Perouse was set to begin.
On March 28-29, the Indian navy held a bilateral joint exercise with the US navy’s Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group in the eastern section of the Indian Ocean.
Other joint exercises were held by Australia and Japan in the South China Sea on March 29-31 and by the US and Japan in the East China Sea on March 29.
Some analysts think these exercises are designed to impress other countries in the region engaged in territorial disputes with China, including members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The South China Morning Post quoted a military expert as saying that countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia that have ongoing territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea are potential members of Quad Plus. This expert noted that these countries would seek to avoid officially joining the Quad, which could give the appearance of outright opposition to China but could certainly cooperate with Quad members on a bilateral basis.
Some have raised the possibility that other European countries, such as Germany and the UK, could take similar steps as France. The Yomiuri Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, reported Monday that Germany and Japan had agreed to hold a “two plus two” virtual meeting between their foreign ministers and defense ministers on April 16.
In what will be their first “two plus two” meeting, Germany and Japan will reportedly discuss cooperation on security matters and achieving a “free and open Indo-Pacific Ocean,” which amounts to containing China.
Germany, the most powerful economy in Europe, adopted policy guidelines in September 2020 that include an Indo-Pacific Strategy. Germany hopes to strengthen security and economic cooperation with South Korea, Japan, and the ASEAN countries to reduce its dependence on China.
By expanding cooperation with Germany, Japan hopes to create a movement in the EU for more engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.
By Jung In-hwan, Beijing correspondent
Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
Copyright © 한겨레신문사 All Rights Reserved. 무단 전재, 재배포, AI 학습 및 활용 금지
- ‘농지법 위반’ 사실상 시인한 윤석열 장모 쪽의 황당한 해명
- 마지막 날도 강북 훑은 오세훈…지도부 총출동한 신촌서 ‘청년 몰이’
- 박영선 유세, 끝과 시작을 ‘촛불’ 광화문서…“반성하고 성찰했다”
- 앞뒤 1m, 말 삼가고, 맨손에 도장 안돼요…투표장 방역수칙은?
- 성호르몬으로 하늘소 유혹…희귀 난의 생식 전략
- 2025년까지 일회용컵 없앤다는 스타벅스, 굿즈는요?
- “특권층이 득세하는 서울로 퇴보”…이낙연의 절박한 외침
- 김종인 “오세훈 두자릿수 차이 승리할 것”
- “그런 훈련은 없다” 플로이드 살해한 경찰에게 서장이 한 말
- 쿠팡이 ‘총수없는 대기업집단’이라고? ‘사익편취’ 규제 벗어나나