Quad, the grouping of India, the US, Japan and Australia, reaffirmed its “steadfast commitment” to a “free and open” Indo-Pacific. It vowed to work towards a region where no country dominates another and every country is free from “coercion”. After the meeting of the foreign ministers of the member countries on Monday, the alliance, which was formed to challenge China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, decided to expand its ambitious Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) programme to the Indian Ocean region that would facilitate monitoring strategic waters. Meanwhile, China accused the Quad countries of “scaremongering, inciting antagonism and confrontation”.
The Quad meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
In a joint statement, the four nations said all countries have a role in contributing to peace and prosperity while seeking an Indo-Pacific region where no country is dominated.
“All countries have a role in contributing to regional peace, stability, and prosperity while seeking a region in which no country dominates and no country is dominated, competition is managed responsibly, and each country is free from coercion in all its forms and can exercise its agency to determine its future,” the statement reads.
The Quad Alliance announced its plan to roll out Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN) in Palau.
The members also expressed concerns over the war in Ukraine.
Without naming China, Quad expressed “serious concern about the militarisation of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating manoeuvres in the South China Sea”.
“We also express our serious concern about the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, the increasing use of various kinds of dangerous manoeuvres, and efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities,” it added.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its own. Several other countries, including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, also have overlapping claims on territories.
The alliance said the members are united in upholding the free, rules-based world order.
“We reaffirm the Quad’s steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient, and are united in our commitment to upholding the free and open rules-based international order, with its strong support for the principle of freedom, human rights, the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful settlement of disputes,” they said.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jia alleged that Quad has been holding back other countries’ development.
“Quad keeps chanting the slogan of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and all the while, it has been scaremongering, inciting antagonism and confrontation, and holding back other countries’ development,” Jia said.
“This runs counter to the overwhelming trend of pursuing peace, development, cooperation, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and will by no means gain any support,” he said.
On Quad, Lin said China believes that cooperation between countries as well as regional initiatives should be conducive to peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, rather than focused on forming exclusive clubs that undermine trust and cooperation among regional countries.
Jia alleged that Quad incited bloc confrontation in the name of anti-coercion.
With inputs from PTI, ANI
