Esper US Defense: "While Korea-US is good, multilateralism is better"

Following the State Department, 'Quad' Mentioned Again

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min, Beijing=Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense, emphasized on the 16th (local time) that bilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region must evolve into multilateralism, citing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as an example. Following the State Department, the Department of Defense also appears to be actively supporting the establishment of a multilateral security system within the Asia region.

Secretary Esper, after delivering a speech at the U.S. think tank RAND Corporation focusing on the U.S. response to the threat from China, responded to a question about expectations from allies by saying, "I believe the more we multilateralize relationships in this theater, the better."

Secretary Esper further stated, "NATO is an excellent standard for collective security and cooperation among allies and partners."

Secretary Esper explained, "There are too many one-on-one relationships. I shouldn't say there are too many, but in bilateral relations like U.S.-Japan, South Korea-U.S., and U.S.-Australia, we are very good, but we need to start increasing cooperation where multiple countries are involved." This is interpreted as a remark that the current bilateral relationships in the region are insufficient for responses through multilateral relations.

When the moderator mentioned the 'Quad,' a consultative group of four countries including the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India, Secretary Esper said, "The Quad is something we intend to continue pursuing."

Earlier, the U.S. State Department also mentioned the necessity of the Quad. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun referred to the Quad on the 31st of last month, stating that there is no cooperation framework in the Indo-Pacific region comparable to NATO.

In this regard, the U.S. is also discussing the 'Quad Plus,' which includes South Korea, Vietnam, and New Zealand. The U.S. continues to emphasize the need for allies and partner countries to actively participate in the U.S. multilateral cooperation initiative aimed at containing China.