China on Monday proposed an inclusive dialogue among all countries in the Indo-Pacific area, following fledgling attempts to form a quad group comprising India, the United States, Australia and Japan.

Rejecting a Cold War mindset, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said: “I think all relevant parties can put forward their vision and proposal on how to develop cooperation between the countries and regions. I hope this kind of proposal and vision can correspond to with the trend and correspond with the trend of the world.” There is widespread perception in China that the quad effort is primarily aimed at its “containment”, in response to Beijing’s rapid rise.

“The relevant proposal (of forming the Indo-Pacific quad) should be open and inclusive and... avoid politicising or excluding some relevant parties,” Mr. Geng observed.

During a visit to China last week, U.S. President Donald Trump had rejected the doctrine of ‘containment’ of China, and signalled that Washington and Beijing will be the main pillars of a more inclusive international system.