NEW DELHI: The Quad on Tuesday expanded cooperation in critical minerals and energy while unveiling new measures to strengthen maritime surveillance and port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific region against the backdrop of China’s growing military posture in the region.
The new measures were announced following a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.
“Much of the bilateral discussions and exchanges were devoted to the current state of the world,” Jaishankar said at the end of the meeting.
He added that it is natural for deliberations to focus on issues related to the Indo-Pacific region.
“Because we are four maritime democracies located at different ends of the Indo-Pacific, exchanging views has been a very valuable exercise.”
The minister said, “We spent some time discussing the issue of safe and unhindered maritime trade, and reiterated the importance of strict adherence to international law.”
Jaishankar said that a free and open Indo-Pacific region has many dimensions and aspects, and the Quad meeting took stock of the progress made in many of them.
He pointed out that we strongly believe in the need to enhance economic flexibility and strengthen supply chains, adding that the deliberations also touched on the current availability of energy, fertilizers, and the availability of vital minerals.
“In the coming days, whether it is about economic activity, energy trade or maritime trade, the Indo-Pacific region will become more important to the world. The Quad’s responsibilities will grow proportionately, and we must prepare for that,” he said.
The Foreign Affairs Minister said that combating the common threat of terrorism also emerged in the talks.
He said, “There should be zero tolerance for terrorism, and countries that are subjected to terrorist attacks have the right to defend themselves.”
In his media statement, US Secretary of State Rubio said that the Quad meeting decided to launch the Maritime Surveillance Cooperation Initiative in the Indo-Pacific region.
He said it would benefit from our country’s maritime surveillance capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.
Rubio also announced the expansion of the Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative in the Indo-Pacific region among the Quad countries. He also said that the Quad decided to put forward a new initiative to strengthen port infrastructure in the Pacific Islands.
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