Quad Issues Joint Statement, Echoing Biden-BoJo ‘New Atlantic Charter’

Sept. 25, 2021 (EIRNS)—The leaders of the U.S. Australia, India and Japan, meeting in the Quad format, in person at the White House yesterday, issued a four-page Joint Statement afterwards which includes sharp attacks on China, though without actually naming China. It includes the very same catch-phrases about the “rules-based international order” which make it a clear knock-off from the “New Atlantic Charter” which produced by President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson June 10 in Cardis Bay, Cornwall, showing the British pedigree at the root of the Quad (down to the British spellings). Biden referred to their Cardis Bay commitment when he hosted Johnson at the White House on Sept. 20.

The “Joint Statement from Quad Leaders” says in the first paragraph: “On this historic occasion we recommit to our partnership, and to a region that is a bedrock of our shared security and prosperity—a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is also inclusive and resilient.” In the second paragraph, “Together, we recommit to promoting the free, open, rules-based order, rooted in international law and undaunted by coercion, to bolster security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.... We stand for the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic values, and territorial integrity of states.” The statement also affirms they will work with a “range of partners,” including ASEAN and the EU.

Further on the Quad leaders say they “will redouble our efforts to ensure that the Quad is a force for regional peace, stability, security, and prosperity. Towards that end, we will continue to champion adherence to international law, particularly as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the East and South China Seas.”

Aside from that, the statement also touches on cooperation and shared objectives in addressing “the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, critical and emerging technologies,” counter-terrorism, Afghanistan, and North Korea.