In a move sending a strong signal to China, foreign ministers from Quad countries -- India, Australia, Japan and the US -- in a joint statement strongly opposed any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.
Soon after he was sworn in by Vice President J D Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Penny Wong from Australia and Japan's Iwaya Takeshi for his first multilateral meeting as the top American diplomat.
At the conclusion of the meeting which lasted for about an hour, the ministers reconfirmed the Quad Leadership Summit in India later this year.
India will host the 2025 Quad Leaders Summit. In 2024, the Quad Leaders Summit was earlier supposed to be held in India, but then US President Joe Biden was keen to hold the event in Wilmington.
'Our four nations maintain our conviction that international law, economic opportunity, peace, stability, and security in all domains, including the maritime domain, underpin the development and prosperity of the people of the Indo-Pacific. We also strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion,' a joint statement issued by the Quad countries said on Tuesday.
The Quad is a diplomatic partnership between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States committed to supporting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.
In November 2017, all these four countries gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence, amid China's growing military presence in the strategic region.
China, which has territorial disputes with many countries in the strategic Indo-Pacific region, has been opposing the Quad Alliance since its formation.
'We are committed to strengthening regional maritime, economic, and technology security in the face of increasing threats, as well as promoting reliable and resilient supply chains.
'We look forward to advancing the work of the Quad in the coming months and will meet together on a regular basis as we prepare for the next Quad Leaders' Summit hosted by India,' it added.
The Quad ministers also reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific' where the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty, and territorial integrity are upheld and defended, the statement said.
China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims.
In a post on X, Jaishankar said the meeting sent a clear message that in an uncertain and volatile world, Quad will continue to be a force for global good.
'Significant that the Quad FMM took place within hours of the inauguration of the Trump administration. This underlines the priority it has in the foreign policy of its member States.
'Our wide-ranging discussions addressed different dimensions of ensuring a free, open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Agreed on the importance of thinking bigger, deepening the agenda and intensifying our collaboration,' Jaishankar said. -- PTI
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Mahipal Soni/Rediff.com
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