S Jaishankar said India remains committed to “upholding the rules-based international order.”
New Delhi:
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar today underscored India’s commitment to “a rules-based international order, territorial integrity, sovereignty and peaceful dispute resolution” at the Quad meeting, four major Indo-Pacific democracies of India, United States , Japan and Australia. In the context of the border dispute with China and the aggressive military behavior of the Southeast Asian giant in the Indo-Pacific and the South China Sea, the four nations reaffirmed the importance of maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
India, the minister said, remains committed to “upholding the rules-based international order, backed by the rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in international seas, respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, and peaceful resolution of disputes “.
“Our goal remains to promote the security and economic interests of all countries that have legitimate and vital interests in the region,” Jaishankar said at the Tokyo meeting.
At today’s meeting, the four nations agreed to intensify coordination to create a free and open Indo-Pacific. The meeting, organized by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, was also attended by United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne.
Pompeo took a hard line with China, calling on Asian allies to unite against Beijing’s “exploitation, corruption and coercion” in the region.
It is “more critical now than ever that we work together to protect our people and partners from exploitation, corruption and coercion by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party),” he added, citing China’s actions in the South and East Seas of China. , the Hong Kong Himalayas, the Taiwan Strait … these are just a few examples, “he added.
This is the second meeting of the Quad, formed in 2017 to cooperate on regional security and economic issues, which are crowned by China’s growing belligerence in the region. China has denounced the group as one that hampers its growth.
For years, China has been embroiled in territorial disputes in China’s resource-rich South and East Seas, an area said to have abundant reserves of minerals, oil and other natural resources.
Beijing claims sovereignty over the entire South China Sea in areas where Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims.
In the East China Sea, China has territorial disputes with Japan.
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