Beijing says the Australia-India-Japan-US grouping should promote regional peace, not create an alliance of adversaries.
China has warned against “camp fight” after officials from the Australia-India-Japan-US ‘Quad’ group met in New Delhi.
Beijing said on Tuesday that any cooperation efforts should contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity.
“We also do not support the creation of exclusive groups or confrontational camps,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mao Ning he said in a press conference. “No cooperation should undermine mutual trust and cooperation between regional countries.”
Beijing’s response came when foreign ministers from India, Australia, Japan, and the United States met in New Delhi.
The meeting chaired by S. Jaishankar of India, was attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.
Jaishankar said the focus of the bloc will be on the Indo-Pacific, “which is a special Quad apology,” Mint information.
At the meeting, the Quad countries jointly agreed to build a port in the Pacific island country of Fiji and signed agreements on essential minerals and energy security.
They said the Quad Critical Minerals Program was targeted “collaborating to acquire and distribute critical mineral supply chains.”
“As the four leading maritime nations in the Indo-Pacific, we are united in our belief that peace and stability in the maritime region is the basis for the region’s security and prosperity,” countries said in statement.
“We strongly oppose any peace-breaking or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo, including by force or coercion, which increase tensions and undermine regional peace and stability.” in the Indo-Pacific, the statement added.
The Quad began as a diplomatic initiative of Japan nearly 20 years ago but gained popularity with the support of former US President Joseph Biden. However, the current US President Donald Trump’s tax war has thrown uncertainty into the group’s direction.
The Quad nations were expected to hold a summit in India last year, but that did not materialize. India was hit hard by Trump’s trade tariffs.
The Quad’s joint statement did not set a specific date for its next meeting. “We look forward to the next Quad Leaders’ Summit to be hosted by India later this year and the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Summit to be hosted by Australia in 2026,” it said.
The previous meeting of the Quad was held in the United States in September 2024.
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