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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held Quad ministerial meeting with his counterparts India’s S Jaishankar, Australia’s Penny Wong and Japan’s Takeshi Iwaya in Washington DC
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds Quad meeting with his counterparts India’s S Jaishankar, Australia’s Penny Wong and Japan’s Takeshi Iwaya in Washington DC. (Courtesy: X)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, soon after taking oath on Tuesday, held his first Quad ministerial meeting with India, Japan and Australia.
In the meeting, the leaders – in a clear warning to China – objected to any coercive or forceful actions to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific.
The veiled warning was given to China over its actions at the sea amid the threat of China claiming its sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan.
The four countries, in a joint statement, restated their “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.”
“We also strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion,” the statement added, hinting at the threat of China acting to claim its sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan.
The countries also raised their concern regarding the growing power of China and the meeting tried to under that countering Beijing is of utmost priority to the Trump administration, Reuters reported.
The ministers further said that they will work towards organising a Quad summit which was scheduled to be held in India this year.
“Significant that the Quad (foreign ministers’ meeting) took place within hours of the inauguration of the Trump Administration. This underlines the priority it has in the foreign policy of its member states,” wrote Jaishankar on X after the meeting.
China’s Opposition To Quad
China has time and again criticised the Quad, a group which was envisioned by late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and later expanded to a leaders’ summit by US former President Joe Biden, claiming that it is a plot of the United States to curb any rising Asian power.
The Quad had even met earlier during the administration of former President Joe Biden and the focus of the meeting was the military and economic activities of Beijing in the Indo-Pacific, especially South China Sea.
The allies of the US have rejected the territorial claims of Beijing in the South China Sea.
In the confirmation hearing, Rubio took the vow of pushing back China against an invasion of Taiwan.
- Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
