United States President Joe Biden and the other leaders of the so-called Quad members — Japan, India and Australia — will hold their first summit on Friday, albeit virtually, in a move widely seen as intended to foster greater cooperation among the four to counter China, which they all regard as getting too uppity.While the topics mentioned so far are mostly shared concerns such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and the US State Department has said the so-called Quad is "not about any single competitor", the discussions are unlikely to conclude without any exchange of concerns about China being "increasingly assertive".It is being reported that Chinese and US officials are discussing a "near-term" meeting between State Secretary Antony Blinken and top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi. These two meetings may seem contradictory. But this is the stark reality of the relationship.▲ Chinese
………………………………
