Don’t target third party, China says, as Biden prepares to host Quad leaders

Name: Biden calls US evacuation an ‘extraordinary success’ in first speech since end of Kabul withdrawal
Uploaded: 2021-09-14T13:02:49.000Z
Duration: 4 min
Description: Biden calls US evacuation an ‘extraordinary success’ in first speech since end of Kabul withdrawal

The White House will host leaders of Australia, Japan and India on September 24 for the first in-person Quad summit, as US pledges to counter China’s rise

Any regional alliance should aid mutual trust and cooperation, rather than target a third party or harm its interests, the Chinese foreign ministry says

Reading Time:2 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Taking part in a virtual Quad summit are (clockwise from top left) US President Joe Biden, and the prime ministers of Japan, India and Australia, Yoshihide Suga, Narendra Modi and Scott Morrison, respectively, on March 12. Photo: Bloomberg

Catherine Wong

Published: 9:02pm, 14 Sep 2021Updated: 10:17pm, 14 Sep 2021

China has called on the US and its transpacific allies to abandon the “zero-sum mentality” and not target a third party, after the White House announced the first in-person summit of Quad leaders next week.

President Joe Biden will host Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the White House on September 24, their first face-to-face meeting.

The meeting comes after the Biden administration indicated it would divert its attention to tackling the challenges posed by a rising China, even as the US tries to salvage an international image damaged by its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan that has given rise to questions about American commitment to the region.

04:00

Biden calls US evacuation an ‘extraordinary success’ in first speech since end of Kabul withdrawal

During her trip to Southeast Asia last month US Vice-President Kamala Harris aimed to reaffirm that commitment.

Asked about the upcoming Quad meeting, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian called on the US and its allies to “abandon [their] zero-sum mentality”.

“The Chinese side believes that any regional cooperation mechanism should go with the trend of the times and be conducive to mutual trust and cooperation among countries in the region,” Zhao said.

“[It] should not target a third party or harm the interests of a third party,” he said, adding that China’s rise had benefited the region and the world.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x