Vegan: "It's Premature to Mention Quad Expansion"

Asked if Korea requested Quad Plus participation: "No US policy to expand Quad"
"At some point, Quad should be formalized"
"Cooperation open with Bangladesh, ASEAN besides Korea and Vietnam"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Steven Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, regarding the 'Quad'?the four-country consultative group consisting of the United States, Japan, Australia, and India?stated, "It should become more substantive over time and at some point be formalized, which is our view," while drawing a line on expanding it to include South Korea and others as a 'Quad Plus' at this time.

During a phone conference with reporters on the 20th (local time) while on a tour of India and Bangladesh, Deputy Secretary Biegun was asked whether the South Korean government had been invited to join the 'Quad Plus.' Instead of a direct response, he drew a line by saying, "There is no planned U.S. policy to expand the Quad." He replied, "Since the Quad is somewhat an undefined entity, it is premature to talk about expansion."

However, he stated, "We welcome cooperation with any country in the region committed to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific."

Deputy Secretary Biegun also added, "We are not necessarily advocating for the Quad Plus, but rather advocating for the continuation and formalization of the Quad with the goal of understanding how it can be best formalized and welcoming cooperation with all countries in the Indo-Pacific."

He mentioned that Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, New Zealand, and Australia participated in responses related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and explained that other South Asian countries such as Bangladesh and ASEAN countries also have opportunities to participate.

Deputy Secretary Biegun's remarks on this day are interpreted as meaning that while the U.S. is showing movements to expand the Quad to strengthen the anti-China alliance, it has not clearly stated a position to actively promote the Quad Plus, yet still keeps the possibility of cooperation with regional countries open.

Also, since other countries besides the U.S. did not clearly express anti-China sentiments nor issue a joint statement at the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting held earlier in Japan, it may have been judged that pushing for further Quad expansion under the current circumstances would be difficult.

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated on the 7th, "If the four-country cooperation is institutionalized, we can begin building a substantive security framework," expressing the view that it is desirable to expand the four-country cooperation to other countries and establish a multilateral security framework in the Indo-Pacific.