Quad foreign ministers decry dangerous South China Sea actions
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(From left) India’s Mr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japan’s Ms Yoko Kamikawa, Australia’s Ms Penny Wong and Mr Antony Blinken from the US at a Quad ministerial meeting in Tokyo on July 29.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TOKYO – Foreign ministers from Australia, India, Japan and the United States said on July 29 they were seriously concerned about intimidating and dangerous manoeuvres in the South China Sea and pledged to bolster maritime security in the region.
The joint statement came after talks between the so-called Quad countries in Tokyo, attended by Australia’s Ms Penny Wong, India’s Mr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japan’s Ms Yoko Kamikawa and Mr Antony Blinken from the US.
The talks also followed security discussions between Tokyo and Washington on July 28 where the allies labelled China the “greatest strategic challenge”
“We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China seas and reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion,” the ministers said in the statement, which did not directly mention China.
They also expressed serious concern about the militarisation of disputed features and coercive and intimidating manoeuvres in the South China Sea, including the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels.
Asked about the statement at a regular news briefing on July 29, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the Quad was “artificially creating tension, inciting confrontation and containing the development of other countries”.
Chinese vessels have repeatedly clashed with Philippine ships around the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in recent months, although the two countries reached a provisional agreement
The Quad members said they were working on a series of initiatives to maintain “the free and open maritime order”, including working with partners to bolster domain awareness and a plan to set up a new maritime legal dialogue.
“We are charting a course for a more secure and open Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean region by bolstering maritime security and domain awareness,” Mr Blinken said in remarks to reporters after the meeting.
“It means strengthening the capacity of partners across the region to know what’s happening in their own waters,” he added.
He said the US would continue to work with its partners to ensure freedom of navigation and the unimpeded flow of lawful maritime commerce.
The US announced plans on July 28 for a major revamp of its military command in Japan
It was among several measures taken to address what the US and Japan said was an “evolving security environment”, noting various threats from China, including its increasingly muscular maritime activities in the East and South China seas.
“Uncertainty surrounding the international order as well as the international situation has been increasing, with Russia continuing its aggression in Ukraine, attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the East China Sea and South China Sea, and the launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea,” Japan’s Ms Kamikawa said after the talks.
The Quad ministers also pledged to advance cooperation in cyber security to protect supply chains and critical infrastructure, including undersea cables.
After leaving Tokyo, Mr Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will hold security talks with another Asian ally, the Philippines, as the Biden administration seeks to counter an increasingly bold China.
Mr Blinken met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi
