Quad Stresses Need For Global Counter-Terrorism Efforts, Says 'Seriously Concerned' About Situation In South China Sea

Foreign ministers of the Quad expressed concern over China's actions in the South China Sea, reaffirmed their opposition to militarisation, and condemned terrorism.

In a veiled rebuke to Beijing, the foreign ministers of India, Japan, the United States, and Australia on Monday expressed "serious concern" over the situation in the South China Sea. In a joint statement, the Quad called for a "free and open" Pacific after talks in Tokyo. The four-nation grouping also showed a unified stance against terrorism condemned violent extremism in all forms, and reiterated condemnation of high-profile terror acts, including the 26/11 Mumbai attack and the 2016 Pathankot attack.

The Quad talks in Tokyo, the first since September, included US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, India's Dr S Jaishankar, and Australia's top diplomat Penny Wong.

Without naming China directly, the statement mentioned the series of recent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea

"We reaffirm our conviction that international law, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the maintenance of peace, safety, security and stability in the maritime domain underpin the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific...We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion" the communique said.

"We continue to express our serious concern about the militarization of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating manoeuvres in the South China Sea. We also express our serious concern about the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, the increasing use of various kinds of dangerous manoeuvres, and efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities," it added. 

The four-nation grouping also condemned North Korea's "destabilising" launches using ballistic missile technology and its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs).

"We express our grave concern over North Korea’s use of proliferation linkages, malicious cyber activity and workers abroad to fund its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula consistent with relevant UNSCRs, and we urge North Korea to abide by all its obligations under the UNSCRs and engage in substantive dialogue," it said. 

The group also reaffirmed its support for the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions related to counter-terrorism, including measures targeting terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaida, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar e-Tayyiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

"We unequivocally condemn terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. We deplore the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones, tunnels and information and communication technologies by terrorists and terrorist entities. We strongly reiterate our condemnation of terrorist attacks, including the 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks and call for bringing the perpetrators of these attacks to justice without delay," the communique said.

"We are committed to working together to promote accountability for the perpetrators of terrorist attacks and support implementation including through domestic designations of UN Security Council resolutions as they pertain to sanctions. We reiterate the call for concerted action against all UN-listed terrorist groups including Al-Qa’ida, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and their proxy groups. We are committed to international cooperation and working together with our international and regional partners in a comprehensive and sustained manner to strengthen their capacity to prevent, detect and respond to threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism including threats posed by the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes," it added. 

The group further expressed concern over the war raging in Ukraine including its "terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences."

"We reiterate the need for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in line with international law, consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. We also note the negative impacts of the war in Ukraine with regard to global food and energy security, especially for developing and least developed countries. In the context of this war, we share the view that the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons is unacceptable. We underscore the importance of upholding international law, and in line with the UN Charter, reiterate that all states must refrain from the threat of or use of force against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state," it said.