QUAD leaders pledge to strengthen cooperation & strive for 'free, open, inclusive' region

The QUAD leaders on March 12 vowed to strive for a “free, open and inclusive” region unconstrained by “coercion” - referring to China which is flexing its military muscle in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. In a joint statement issued after the Leaders’ Summit of the Quadrilateral alliance attended by US President Joe Biden, PM Narendra Modi, Australian PM Scott Morrison and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga, the leaders pledged to strengthen cooperation on the “defining challenges of our time”. They also said that the four countries are committed to working together and with a range of partners.

The statement titled ‘The Spirit of the QUAD’, read, “We bring diverse perspectives and are united in a shared vision for the free and open Indo-Pacific. We strive for a region that is free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion”. 

“Together, we commit to promoting a free, open rules-based order, rooted in international law to advance security and prosperity and counter threats to both in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. We support the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic values, and territorial integrity," the statement said.

‘We will redouble commitment to QUAD engagement’ 

The leaders said that they will continue to prioritise the role of international law in the maritime domain, particularly as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and facilitate collaboration, including in maritime security, to meet challenges to the rules-based maritime order in the East and South China Seas. ''Full of potential, the Quad looks forward to the future; it seeks to uphold peace and prosperity and strengthen democratic resilience, based on universal values," the joint statement said.

The QUAD leaders also pledged to respond to the economic and health impacts of coronavirus, combat climate change and address shared challenges, including in cyberspace, critical technologies, counterterrorism, quality infrastructure investment, and humanitarian-assistance and disaster-relief as well as maritime domains. The statement said that the four countries will begin cooperation on the critical technologies of the future to ensure that innovation is consistent with a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific. 

"To advance these goals and others, we will redouble our commitment to Quad engagement," they said, adding that they are committed to leveraging "our partnership to help the world’s most dynamic region respond to historic crisis, so that it may be the free, open, accessible, diverse, and thriving Indo-Pacific we all seek”.