ארה"ב ובנות בריתה משיקות מספר יוזמות על רקע פעילות המשטר הסיני באזור האינדו-פסיפי

Critical minerals, energy, and maritime security are key areas where Indo-Pacific powers are stepping up efforts to counter China. Here are the major announcements from Tuesday's meeting of foreign ministers from the US, Australia, India, and Japan, the group known as the Quad. The first is the launch of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Corporation initiative, which is going to leverage each of our country's maritime surveillance capabilities in the Indo-Pacific to enhance information sharing. Related to that is also the expansion of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative, which provides and can provide near real-time commercial maritime domain awareness data to countries throughout the Indo-Pacific. Sixty percent of global maritime trade passes through the Indo-Pacific. The Quad also said they remain concerned about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. In those waters, China has been turning disputed coral reefs into artificial islands and arming them with missile systems, raising tensions with neighboring countries. Chinese vessels have also sprayed water cannons at Filipino ships and entered disputed waters near Japan. Energy was also a top priority during the meeting. And we know the consequences for our region of the Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz and what that means for our energy security, for our economies, and for our people. Rubio said the Quad will roll out an initiative aimed at securing a stable energy supply for the Indo-Pacific. Through this initiative, the partners will work to identify areas of cooperation in technology and management and policy and international market analysis and emergency response exercises. Japan has released oil from its strategic reserves to ease shortages. Australia has also turned to countries like Singapore to shore up supplies. Meanwhile, as the Quad meeting unfolded, China said cooperation between countries should not target third parties. The Quad is spending big to address key challenges tied to China. The group plans to invest $20 billion to secure critical mineral supply chains. The U.S. and India have signed a pact to strengthen rare earth supply chains. We'll announce the Quad Critical Minerals Framework, which will guide each of us to leverage economic policy tools and coordinate investment to strengthen critical mineral supply chains, including in mining and processing and in critical minerals recycling. The problem is especially severe for Japan, as China has halted exports of certain rare earth products amid diplomatic tensions. These minerals are critical for defense and semiconductor production. And for the first time, the Quad will also work together on a port infrastructure project. The partners plan to work with Fiji to upgrade port infrastructure across the Pacific Islands.