Amid China's expansionism, QUAD members vow to strengthen security of Indo-Pacific region

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Monday participated in the Quad meeting along with his counterparts from Japan, the United States and Australia in Tokyo. 

While addressing the dignitaries, the EAM in a veiled dig on China stressed the need to uphold rule-based international order in the international seas along while respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of other nations. "We remain committed to upholding rules-based international order, underpinned by rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in international seas, respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and peaceful resolution of disputes," said EAM S Jaishankar at Quad Ministerial Meeting. 

"It's a matter of satisfaction that Indo-Pacific concept has gained increasingly wider acceptance.Indo-Pacific Ocean’s Initiative that we tabled at East Asia Summit last year is development with considerable promise in that context," he added.

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Quad Meeting 2020

Foreign ministers of India, US, Japan, and Australia are in Tokyo to participate in the second QUAD security dialogue. Jaishankar, along with other foreign ministers, met Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga during his two-day visit and spoke about the bilateral and global dimensions of the “special partnership.” 

During the Quad talks, the ministers will discuss the post-COVID-19 international order and the need for a coordinated response to the various challenges emerging from the pandemic. MEA had said that they will also discuss regional issues and collectively affirm the importance of maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, also known as Quad, is an informal strategic forum between India, US, Japan, and Australia. The strategic alliance was formed to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and check China’s expansionist efforts in the region, which has become a major cause of concern for a rules-based order. 

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