Quad ready to work with ASEAN in Indo-Pacific

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 18

On a day India held border talks with China, it also touched base with the Quad grouping of the US, Australia and Japan, which share the same views about Beijing’s aggressiveness on the land borders and in the maritime domain.

Senior Foreign Ministry officials from the four countries interacted through a video conference to follow up on the last such official- level discussions in September and the in-person meeting of Quad foreign ministers in Tokyo on October 6.

The officials exchanged views on regional and global issues of common interest. They also reviewed ongoing and proposed practical cooperation in the areas of connectivity and infrastructure development, and security issues, including counter-terrorism, cyber security, maritime security, humanitarian and disaster relief, with the objective of promoting peace, security, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, said a MEA statement.

In the context of the ongoing pandemic, the officials underscored the importance of enhancing the resilience of supply chains for an expeditious and sustainable global economic recovery. They also highlighted the need to ensure safe, effective and affordable access to Covid vaccines.