Containment of China: USA and partners want to expand influence in the Indo

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Four-way summit in the White House: signal to China

Photo: Sarahbeth Maney / POOL / EPA

The USA, India, Japan and Australia want to work together even more closely in the future and expand their influence in the Indo-Pacific region. The region from the Indian to the Pacific Ocean forms the basis for "common security and common prosperity," said a joint statement after a meeting of the heads of government of the four countries in Washington. It also emphasized that the law of the sea must be observed in the East and South China Seas. Both the meeting itself and the declaration could be interpreted as a signal to China, although the People's Republic is not addressed directly in the document.

The USA and other states are concerned about the trade practices of the People's Republic and the Chinese urge to expand in the Indo-Pacific. China also claims practically the entire South China Sea for itself. For years, the People's Republic has therefore been in dispute with countries in the region such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei - and also with Taiwan. Large oil and gas reserves are believed to be in the area.

The four alliance wants to cooperate even more closely in the future, for example in dealing with the corona pandemic, in the area of ​​cybersecurity and in the fight against climate change.

The production of corona vaccines should be increased and preparation for future pandemics should be improved - a joint exercise on this should be possible in 2022.

There should also be more cooperation in space, for example through the joint use of satellite data for monitoring climate change or for disaster control.

mik / dpa