Quad’s virtue-signalling won’t help the people of Myanmar

Given their close ties with the country, it would have made far more sense for India and Japan to work with China and Asean to obtain a less tragic outcome than for the US to mediate between the conflicting parties

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Demonstrators hold placards during a protest against the military coup, in Yangon. Photo: EPA-EFE/STRINGER

Alex Lo

Alex Lo has been an SCMP columnist since 2012, covering major issues affecting Hong Kong and the rest of China.

Published: 9:00pm, 15 Mar 2021Updated: 9:00pm, 15 Mar 2021

The first meeting of the so-called Quad grouping of the United States, India, Japan and Australia has been billed as the start of a “democratic” bulwark against China’s growing influence in Asia. Its more immediate outcome may have been virtue-signalling by the four countries with much dirty laundry to sanitise. They have pledged to deliver a billion Covid-19 vaccine doses throughout the Asia-Pacific by the end of 2022, a number so high it’s mind-boggling given the current monopolisation by Western countries of the distribution of doses for their own citizens.

The United States has been especially embarrassed by reports of its hoarding of vaccines and blocking developing countries from manufacturing cheaper diagnostic tests and vaccines by obtaining a waiver on intellectual property rights with the World Trade Organization.

Meanwhile, all four Quad nations have jointly issued a statement vowing to restore democracy in Myanmar after the military coup at the beginning of last month, and its subsequent killings of dozens of protesters.

In fact, India and Japan have been mostly quiet about the coup, given the sensitivity of their close relations with the country, much like China has been. But while the close ties between Beijing and the military junta have been constantly played up in the foreign news media, India and Japan have been given a free pass, as usual. However, given their regional influence and close ties to Myanmar, it makes far more sense for India, Japan and China – and the Asean member states led by Indonesia – to work together to mediate between the conflicting parties in the country and obtain a less tragic outcome.

Alas, that is unlikely because Washington has put its foot down against its Asian allies from working with Beijing. Sadly, denouncing the military coup and demanding the return of democracy won’t change the facts on the ground.