Thread by @stephendziedzic

Japan's Ambassador to Australia @YamagamiShingo and US Chargé d'Affaires Mike Goldman speaking at the @ASPI_org conference right now. @YamagamiShingo opens very promisingly, saying "I would like to speak my mind" (journos love these words) 1/

The Ambassador starts with yesterday's 2 +2 meeting of Japanese and Australian Defence and Foreign Ministers. He says the meeting - and the subsequent statement issued by both countries - were "wide ranging and historic" 2/

The Ambassador says the joint statement shows that "Australia is not walking alone." He points directly to clause six which says both nations "commit to opposing coercion and destabilising behaviour by economic means." He does not use the C word. 3/

The Ambassador says the statement is equally forceful when it comes to destablising behaviour in the South China Sea + the East China Sea. This is interesting. He says Japan used to maintain a conceptual "dividing line" between the two seas but "that's not the case any more" 4/

Now US Chargé d'Affaires Mike Goldman. On the quad- he says the four countries are approaching the initiative with "confidence." He adds "this is not a "defensive or shrill grouping of countries" 5/

Goldman - "the quad is not NATO and it's not necessarily orientated against anyone. It's not blind to strategic challenges, but it's a grouping born of confidence and commitment" 6/

Now India's Deputy High Commissioner @pskarthigeyan - he says the Quad is not part of "a containment strategy." He says it's an "inclusive" initiative- "our vision is positive and collaborative and inclusive" 7/

The Deputy HC says "we are clear eyed about what (the Quad) is, and what is is not, more importantly." He also says the countries "need to be a little more broad-minded" about how they define "security" 8/

Now Hugh Jeffrey, a senior Defence Dept official. (I'm listening back now, about 30 mins behind events) He says there "other narratives" about the quad which frame it as a vehicle for containment, but "if you look at way quad has developed, it's not a defence first construct" 9/

Goldman says the Quad needs to tackle both climate change and COVID-19. He says "we need to show democracies have the flexibility, resilience and innate power to reinvent themselves to deal with these challenges. We can do this and leave the comparison strongly implicit" 10/

Goldman- it's crucial for the US and China to cooperate to cut emissions. "We have to find a way to work with China on climate change. I'd say the way we do it is if we get our house in order. That would then increase pressure, if you will, on China to get its house in order" 11/

Hugh Jeffrey- there are "competing narratives" about the international order. Some "rising powers" see the order as a mechanism to contain them - "if we are going to get to a point where we can manage global challenges we need to reconcile those two different narratives" 12/

Moderator asks how countries can convince (or press) China and Xi Jinping to work within the rules based order. Hugh Jeffrey wryly observes he's ignoring his own maxim about public servants not winging it and gives it a crack. In brief- work collectively 13/

Goldman- it's "endlessly fascinating" to study the Chinese leadership/elite politics, "it can be a rabbit hole you never emerge from." But he says it's more important to focus on China's actions. Identifying Xi's precise motivations/psychology is an "impossible task" 14/

Question on Dutton's comments about expanding the US military presence in Australia. Goldman plays a very straight bat: "we have an AUSMIN construct with a force posture review group. These things will all get considered in the context of that. I wouldn't get ahead of those" 15/