New Delhi: Hours after Quad foreign ministers announced deepening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, China opposed the four-member grouping, saying Beijing does not support “exclusive cliques or bloc confrontation”.
At a press briefing in Beijing, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said cooperation between countries should contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity, and should not target any third party.
“China has stated its position on Quad on multiple occasions,” she said when asked to comment on Quad’s new measures to boost maritime surveillance in the Indo-Pacific region.
“We also do not support the formation of exclusive cliques or bloc confrontation. No cooperation should undermine mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries,”she told the daily press conference.
The Quad Tuesday announced new initiatives aimed at strengthening maritime surveillance and port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific, amid rising concerns over Beijing’s expanding military footprint in the region.
At a joint press briefing at the Hyderabad House, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Quad had agreed to launch an Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Cooperation Initiative, alongside an expansion of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative among the four-member nation grouping.
Rubio also announced a new Quad initiative focused on enhancing port infrastructure in the Pacific Islands and an Energy Security Framework.
He described the grouping as evolving into “a partnership of action”, announcing four major initiatives aimed at strengthening economic and strategic resilience across the Indo-Pacific.
Among the most significant initiatives unveiled was the launch of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration, which Rubio said would integrate the surveillance capabilities of the four countries to improve information sharing across the region.
Related to that effort, the Quad announced an expansion of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative, providing near-real-time commercial maritime tracking data to Indo-Pacific partners to combat illegal fishing, trafficking and maritime threats.
“The reason why maritime security is so important is the fact that 60 percent of global maritime trade passes through the Indo-Pacific,” Rubio said.
The announcements came against the backdrop of growing concerns over freedom of navigation and strategic competition in Asian waters.
While none of the ministers directly named China, the language of the meeting repeatedly echoed long-running Quad concerns over contested sea lanes and coercive maritime behavior.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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