Biden Convenes Quad Summit to Reaffirm America’s Primacy in the Asian Pacific
By Abdul Majeed Bhatti

In a strategic move to bolster US influence in the Indo-Pacific region, President Joe Biden hosted the leaders of Australia, India, and Japan for the annual Quad summit in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. [1] The gathering is Biden’s last as president and underlines his determination to counter China’s ascendency and pass on an assertive China policy to the next administration. The founding of a bipartisan “Quad Caucus” in the US Congress highlights America’s endurable commitment to this alliance—indicating that the Quad will remain a pivotal pillar of US foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific regardless of Harris or Trump winning the Presidency.

The Quad, officially known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a keystone of Biden’s foreign policy since its restoration in 2017. During his presidency, the alliance has been promoted to leader-level meetings, reflecting its importance in the preservation of American supremacy in Asia. Hence, it was no surprise to see Biden at the summit warning about the menace of China. Biden, caught on a hot mic, openly remarked, “China continues to behave aggressively, testing us all across the region.” [2] He highlighted tensions in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Taiwan Straits, emphasizing the broad scope of challenges posed by China's actions. Furthermore, Biden was keen to stress about the Quad’s long-shelf life. “It’s here to stay”. [3]

Meaning no matter how strongly China objects, Biden wants to send an unequivocal message to Beijing that the transition in leadership in both the US and Japan, will not diminish the political will of the alliance. Indeed, the Chinese media has accused the group of orchestrating a “divide and rule” strategy. However, Quad leaders have deflected such criticism and have routinely maintained that their partnership is not directed against any specific country but rather aims to promote a “free and open Indo-Pacific”.

Nevertheless, actions speak louder than words. The Quad summit revealed several measures intended to consolidate and enhance the alliance’s collective ability to address China’s growing military might and her expansionist ambitions. [4] These initiatives comprise improved maritime security cooperation, a new framework for coast guard collaboration, and better humanitarian assistance capabilities. Ostensibly, such measures are devised to reinforce the Quad’s capacity to address head on any perceived Chinese aggression. In contrast, China perceives efforts to break free from the US inspired shackles of the first and second island chains, and to establish a strong presence in the India Ocean as legitimate actions intended to safeguard sea-trade routes from Africa and the Middle East to shores of China and should not be viewed as aggression aimed towards any country.

For America alliance like Quad and Partnership for Global Infrastructure Initiative (PGII), signals a shrewd approach in American foreign policy. These alliances operate outside the conventional security, finance and trade architectures rooted in Bretton Woods institutions like the UN, WB and IMF. They reflect America’s desire towards more flexible and purpose-built coalitions to address specific regional challenges, particularly those posed by China’s rise. For instance, PGII enables America and her allies to compete with China’s One belt and One Road initiative on somewhat equal footing. Additionally, such alliances have also strengthened the ability of Quad members to take direct action against China’s rise. For instance, India’s diamond necklace strategy is designed to counter Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean. Likewise, Japan has used Quad’s Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) to increase its assertive against China. [5] In 2022, Tokyo published a new defense strategy, which was a clear departure from the amount of force Japan could use against its rivals. [6]

In sum, Biden’s presidency has seen a concerted effort to reposition America as the world leading state, especially after the disaster of the Bush years. Biden successfully entrapped both Russia and Europe in a protracted conflict in Ukraine, which increased Europe’s dependence on American security and eroded Russia’s power. However, Biden failed to make any substantial headway on China due to the war in Gaza that sapped precious resources and attention. Hence, as Biden’s presidency draws to a close, it remains to be seen whether the next administration can build on Biden’s efforts to effectively use the Quad as a durable counterweight to China’s growing power.

However, for the aware Muslim, the West since October 7th has trounced on all its ideals like freedom, democracy, human rights, and international law by blindly siding with the unfathomable crimes of the Jewish state. Even western technology (military equipment, drones, bombs, pagers, talkies etc.) has not been spared in the pursuit of callous slaughter and genocide of people in Palestine and now Lebanon. As America is foremost partner in crime with the Jewish state, her credibility and legitimacy has plummeted to an all-time low amongst her rivals (China, Russia and the Muslim Ummah) and her allies (Europe and Quad). America’s allies and rivals, and even the agent leaders of the Muslim world only cooperate with her out of fear.

This means that the international order that appears in America’s favor as strong is in reality weak and fractured with schisms and mistrust. It means that this is the most opportune time to re-stablish the Khilafah (Caliphate) state, which will make these great powers fight each other and then supplant America as the leader of the world.

References:

[1,2,3] MSN, (2024). Biden aims to put final stamp on Quad partnership with hometown summit. MSN. Available at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/biden-aims-to-put-final-stamp-on-quad-partnership-with-hometown-summit/ar-AA1qUYR0?ocid=BingNewsSerp

[4] Reuters, (2024). Quad group expands maritime security cooperation at Biden's farewell summit. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/quad-expand-maritime-security-cooperation-bidens-farewell-summit-2024-09-21/

[5] The White House, (2023). Quad Leaders’ Joint Statement. Available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/20/quad-leaders-joint-statement/#:~:text=We%20are%20pleased%20the%20Indo-Pacific%20Partnership%20for%20Maritime%20Domain%20Awareness

[6] (CSIS, 2022). What’s New in Japan's Three Strategic Documents. CSIS, Available at: https://www.csis.org/analysis/whats-new-japans-three-strategic-documents#:~:text=On%20December%2016,%202022,%20the%20Kishida%20administration%20approved%20three%20new