‘China Eyeing Taiwan Covetously but Quad Forces it to Think’: Former Aus PM Abbott

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said China is casting covetous eyes towards Taiwan but the presence of Quad raises doubts in its mind. Speaking to CNN-News18’s Zakka Jacob, Abbott pointed out that Quad forces China to think who would it be up against if it decides to militarily take Taiwan.

“Quad raises doubts on China’s mind about who would it be up against if it were to embark on this shocking act of adventurism,” Abbott said, referring to a possible invasion of Taiwan, which China on several occasions has hinted that it is keen to.

“Beijing is casting covetous eyes towards Taiwan and it would take Taiwan by force if it could. Any attack on Taiwan would be several orders of magnitude more disruptive to the entire world than Putin’s horrific attack on Ukraine,” Abbott said.

When asked about how Quad has changed its language from being a group of nations working to challenge Chinese assertiveness in the region to being a group of nations which is working on mitigating the effects of climate change in the Indo-Pacific, increasing economic cooperation, Abbott said the four major global democracies are working together to ensure that democracy can flourish and a rules-based global order can can survive.

“The four countries in question are serious strategic actors. The US is the world’s number one democratic superpower, India is the world’s number two democratic superpower and Japan is an economic powerhouse and increasingly a military one as well, and Australia is a very significant part of the Indo-Pacific as well,” Abbott said.

“The four big democracies of the Indo-Pacific are working together to try to ensure that democracy can flourish and a rules-based global order can survive,” he further added.

He pointed out that in the recent meeting of Quad foreign ministers the issues related to challenges emanating from terrorism was discussed between the ministers.

“We unequivocally condemn terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations. We denounce the use of terrorist proxies and emphasise the importance of denying any logistical, financial, or military support to terrorist organisations which could be used to launch or plan terrorist attacks, including transnational and cross-border attacks,” the Quad joint statement said.

In the joint statement, released following the meeting of the foreign ministers which was held on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, the Quad members also remembered lives lost during the Mumbai 26/11 attacks and the attack on Pathankot airbase.

A Quad Working Group on Counterterrorism was also set up following the meeting held in February where members of the grouping and other Indo-Pacific nations will work together to counter extremism, radicalisation and emerging forms of terrorism.

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