Simone McCarthy | South China Morning Post | 13 March 2021
The United States, India, Australia and Japan have pledged to deliver a billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine throughout the Indo-Pacific by the end of 2022 in what is widely seen as a bid to counter China’s influence in the region.
Observers said it will allow the group known as the Quad to stake out a role in a region that has been a major beneficiary of Beijing’s so-called vaccine diplomacy, but its success may hinge on how severe India’s outbreak is.
The promise, the keynote of a Friday summit between the leaders of the four countries, follows the Biden administration’s decision to make the region – and competition with China – a critical focus of its national security agenda. The leaders also discussed maritime issues in the South China Sea and upholding democratic values.
