Tokyo: India and other Quad member nations on Monday reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and said "no country should dominate others" and competition should be managed responsibly in what is seen as a clear message to China. At a meeting, the foreign ministers of the Quad countries also called for upholding the free and open rules-based international order and respecting the principle of freedom, human rights, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations.
The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Australia's Penny Wong. "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 own future," the ministers said in the statement.
WATCH: Quad Foreign Ministers joint presser
The Quad also vowed to work towards a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific, a region that has seen increasing Chinese military muscle-flexing in the last few years. "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, rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful settlement of disputes," the ministers said.
"QUAD is not a talk shop": Jaishankar
During the joint presser in Japan's national capital, Jaishankar reaffirmed that the QUAD platform "is not a talk shop but a platform that generates practical outcomes." "For example, our HADR conversations are reflected in understandings and SOPs between our Navies. The Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness initiative that came out of QUAD today links information fusion centres. The Open-RAN network, which we have spoken about so much, is being deployed in Palau. A space-based climate warning system will be launched soon in Mauritius. Off-grid solar projects are actually happening in Indo-Pacific islands. During Covid, we cooperated to deliver vaccines to countries in this region. And the first cohort of QUAD STEM fellowships is passing out and the second one will also cover the ASEAN," he added.
At the end of the meeting, the QUAD leaders echoed hosting the next Quad Leaders’ Summit later this year, and the United States hosting the next Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting in 2025.
China responds to QUAD warning
Meanwhile, responding to the Quad joint statement, China accused the Quad nations, including the US and India, of "artificially creating tension" and "inciting confrontation" to "contain" the development of other countries in the Asia Pacific region.
Beijing's statement came hours after the foreign ministers of the Quad countries, comprising the US, Japan, India and Australia, in a meeting in Tokyo, reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, vowing to work towards a region where no country dominates others and each state is free from coercion in all its forms.
The Quad was "artificially creating tension, inciting confrontation and containing the development of other countries", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing here when asked for his reaction to the joint statement of the foreign ministers of the Quad countries released after the end of their meeting.
This is against the global trend of peace and development and stability in the Asia Pacific, Lin said.
(With inputs from agency)
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