Australia, India, Japan, and USA create joint critical tech working group The first “Quad summit” of leaders from Australia, India, Japan, and the USA has announced the group will create a “Critical and Emerging Technology Working Group”. “The Quad” is an increasingly tight grouping aimed at reminding China that it faces liked-minded allies that are not afraid to exert economic and military …
Given the land area of Aus, India and the US I'd be somewhat surprised if such minerals weren't available somewhere within them, although the economics of mining those might be less desirable than (say) turning a blind eye to human rights transgressions. Guess it depends on exactly how serious the Quad are on this.
India has more than double the rare earths of Australia, including monazite sands containing thorium, cerium and some lanthanides. Some of the reasons why China was left to dominate the RE market is down to them having relatively good access and the fact that processing is not easily environmentally friendly.
As far as I can see, at least 2 if not 3 of those 4 countries were very happy to encourage China to grow its economy by manufacturing plastic crap and cheap electronics for them. Oh look, now they've got quite wealthy and powerful. A massive D'oh! moment. Too late though; China's back after a few centuries away.
The only thing these countries have in common is that they're "not China". They're also vaguely in the same area. As for beacons of freedom and democracy.....that's a bit iffy at the moment. The news from India is not great, they appear to be going backwards socially. Japan has always been an outlier, its main and only intrerest is Japan and its history in the area -- particualrly the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" period -- mean that while the neighbors might want normal relations with it they'll still keep their spoons quite long. Australia is a small country -- its phscially huge but its not very big in either population or economy. The US desperately needs friends, especially after the recent administration (which really did nothing much except say openly what's been our subtext for years now).
It sounds like a grouping of losers to me, especially as its defined by what it is not rather than by what it is. The only way to 'deal' with China is to accept what it is and start competing with it (and stop talking down to it and generally trying anything and everything to diminish it).
you'd hope that they would be addressing the genocide, it is sad that the Quad does not make that a priority. I suspect the lack of action is due to religious prejudice by countries that have had to deal with that religions extremists activities, that's no excuse. So long as the world lets this continue the lessons WW2 were not learned.
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