The United States, Japan, Australia and India held the first meeting of the Quad Group, which seeks to counter China’s influence

On Friday, the United States, Japan, Australia and India held the first meeting of the Quad, a new group that has among its main objectives to counter the influence of China in the Indo-Pacific region.

In a subsequent press conference, the North American nation’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan described the details of the summit – which was held virtually – and said the four states “have no illusions” about the Asian giant.

And, in a benchmark evening in Beijing, he expressed: “They talked about the competition between autocracy and democracy and agreed that democracy is the best system to satisfy the people“.

The official said they also addressed “key regional issues such as freedom of navigation and anti-coercion in the South China Sea, the nuclear aspect of North Korea and the coup in Myanmar“.

Referring to the first high-level meeting the Biden administration will hold with China on March 18-19 in Alaska, Sullivan said that after 50 days in office, the United States “will approach the meeting from a position of strength.” . In support of his position, he referred to the updated economic growth forecast for the country – it will increase by 6.5%, according to the OECD – and the process of vaccination against COVID-19, which has gained a higher speed than that initially expected.

“As the president said, the United States will maintain stiff competition with China. We hope to win this competition, ”said the official.

Asked about measures India is taking to block the possibility of its mobile operators not using Huawei-made telecommunications equipment, Sullivan said “A sovereign decision”, but which “is certainly consistent with our decisions and what we have said” about the company.

“We have already expressed our concern about Huawei and its relationship with parts of the Chinese government and the armed forces.“, He added.

At the meeting, the countries also agreed on a joint initiative to produce one billion COVID-19 vaccines in India by the end of 2022. “The Quad is committed to providing at least that amount to ASEAN, the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Sullivan said.

At the same time, the White House announced in a press release its support for the Indian company Biological E Ltd. for “produce at least 1 billion doses of covid-19 vaccine by the end of 2022 ”, focusing on Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine.

The manufacturing will be financially supported by Japan and the United States’ International Development Finance Corporation, which funds projects in developing countries.

Australia will contribute an additional $ 77 million, on top of a previous commitment of $ 407 million, to ensure vaccines are not only delivered but administered in Southeast Asia, the White House said.

In turn, Japan will provide $ 41 million for vaccine distribution, which requires careful temperature control.

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