For subscribers
Much wayang behind Quad ambassadors’ Beijing meeting
Against the backdrop of China’s drills near Taiwan, it was in Washington’s interests to play up the meeting while it suited Beijing to ignore it.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A news broadcast in Beijing on China's "Justice Mission 2025" military drills around Taiwan. These were China's most extensive drills by coverage area to date.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
It wasn’t the first time that ambassadors to China of the Quad nations – US, Japan, Australia and India – had met as a group in Beijing, as they have in other capitals as well. But in diplomacy, timing and location take on much meaning.
What is more, US Ambassador David Perdue’s move to publicise the Dec 30 meeting he hosted, complete with a picture of the four envoys gathered in front of the seal of the United States, was clearly aimed at making a point.
