Quad Foreign Ministers signal firm stand against China’s aggression at sea

In a veiled message to China on its attempts to coerce its way through maritime territorial disputes, the Foreign Ministers of the Quad countries ‘strongly opposed’ attempts to change any status quo and said the four countries — India, the US, Japan and Australia — would maintain conviction for upholding international law.

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The Quad Foreign Ministers met at Washington DC on Tuesday, a day after Donald Trump took over as the US President, making the Quad Foreign Ministers meet the first significant foreign policy event of the new US administration. Details of the meeting emerged in the wee hours of Wednesday.

A joint statement outlined the Quad’s plans for progress, emphasising the shared commitment of the four nations. “We remain convinced that international law, economic opportunity and peace, stability and security across all domains, including the maritime domain, are essential to the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific’s people,” it said.

In an obvious unstated reference to China, the statement said, “We strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. We reaffirm our 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.”

These blunt messages from the Quad Foreign Ministers to China come as Beijing continues to employ coercive tactics at sea, primarily in the South China Sea, to assert territorial claims and shape regional dynamics. These include operations by a ‘maritime militia’ to intimidate and harass other countries’ fishing boats and coast guard vessels within disputed waters.

The Chinese Coast Guard has been involved in aggressive manoeuvres, including ramming and water cannon attacks, against vessels from other countries. China claims vast swathes of the South China Sea, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of several other countries. A code of conduct is being discussed among six countries — the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei — that are party to the maritime boundary dispute in the South China Sea. These countries have been discussing a code of conduct forced upon the claimants by China that did not accept a UN verdict on the demarcation of the maritime boundary.

Meanwhile, in Washington DC, the Quad Foreign Ministers said they were 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 on a regular basis as we prepare for the next Quad summit hosted by India,” the statement said.

The Quad Foreign Ministers’ meet was the first for the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi attended the meeting.