New Delhi– The foreign ministers of the Quad nations have reaffirmed their strong commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and expressed firm opposition to any unilateral attempts to alter the status quo through force or coercion.
“We underscore our commitment to defending the rule of law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. As four leading maritime nations in the Indo-Pacific, we are united in our conviction that peace and stability in the maritime domain underpin the security and prosperity of the region. We are committed to a region where all countries are free from coercion and strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion,” the ministers said in a joint statement issued following their meeting in Washington on Wednesday.
The meeting, held Tuesday local time, included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. The group discussed both opportunities and challenges in the Indo-Pacific region and explored how to leverage the Quad’s collective strengths to promote peace, security, and prosperity in partnership with regional stakeholders.
“To ensure the Quad’s enduring impact, we are pleased to announce today a new, ambitious, and strong agenda focused on four key areas: maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technology, and humanitarian assistance and emergency response. Through this renewed focus, we will sharpen the Quad’s ability to leverage our resources to address the region’s most pressing challenges,” the statement continued.
The ministers emphasized their ongoing collaboration with regional institutions such as ASEAN, the Pacific Islands Forum, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), reaffirming the Quad’s support for regional unity and centrality.
Though the statement did not explicitly mention China, it highlighted actions that closely resemble China’s recent behavior in the region.
“We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea. We reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. We express our serious concerns regarding dangerous and provocative actions, including interference with offshore resource development, the repeated obstruction of the freedoms of navigation and overflight, and the dangerous maneuvers by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels, especially the unsafe use of water cannons and ramming or blocking actions in the South China Sea,” the statement noted.
These behaviors are widely attributed to China, which has been involved in maritime confrontations with the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, and Malaysia over territorial disputes and offshore energy development.
The ministers also voiced concern over the militarization of disputed features and stressed the importance of upholding international law.
“We emphasise the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea, and unimpeded commerce consistent with international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We affirm that maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, and reiterate that the award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal on July 12, 2016, is a significant milestone and the basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties,” they said.
The Quad also announced new initiatives to enhance regional cooperation, including in maritime security, technology, and humanitarian assistance. To improve disaster relief capabilities, the ministers revealed plans to conduct the first Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network field training exercise later this year. The exercise aims to build shared airlift capacity and strengthen collective logistics networks to enable faster and more effective responses to natural disasters in the region.
As the Quad evolves, the ministers reiterated their shared commitment to democratic values and their determination to ensure the partnership has a lasting, positive impact on the Indo-Pacific. (Source: IANS)
