The Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting issued a joint statement expressing deep concern about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea...
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| From left to right: Foreign Ministers Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (India), Kamikawa Yoko (Japan), Penny Wong (Australia) and Antony Blinken (US) in Tokyo, July 29. (Source: Reuters) |
On July 29, Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko chaired the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Tokyo with the participation of his counterparts Penny Wong (Australia), Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (India) and Antony Blinken (USA).
The conference issued a joint statement emphasizing “extreme concern over the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and strongly opposing any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion...”.
In addition to concerns about maritime security and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, the four foreign ministers also mentioned North Korea’s ballistic missile launches and the conflict in Ukraine. The Quad foreign ministers said that these are the main threats to a “free and open” Indo-Pacific. Speaking at the press conference, host country Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko added, “The international order and situation are facing increasing instability with unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force, especially in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.”
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Blinken said that although the world faces conflicts in the Gaza Strip, Ukraine, South Sudan and "we must work to end those conflicts, but not lose sight of the vision and remain strongly focused on the region".
In the joint statement, emphasizing the importance of compliance with international law for a rules-based maritime order, including in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, the four foreign ministers also called for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the peaceful resolution of hot spots in Ukraine and the Middle East. At the same time, the foreign ministers emphasized their commitment to complying with the United Nations Charter and promoting United Nations reform, including reform of the Security Council.
In addition, highlighting the importance of multilateral cooperation, supporting the unity and central role of ASEAN as well as supporting Pacific island countries to promote their role in the region, the four foreign ministers affirmed to actively "support the region through practical cooperation on challenges such as maritime security, critical technology, cyber security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, health security, climate change, counter-terrorism, infrastructure and connectivity".
Notably, in addition to reiterating commitments, the Quad Summit also expressed its determination to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region through enhanced cooperation with countries in the region geographically. In the Joint Statement, for the first time, practical cooperation in the fields of critical and emerging technologies and cybersecurity to protect supply chains and critical infrastructure was emphasized.
Affirming the need to advance the Group’s standard procedures on strengthening health security, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, infrastructure and connectivity, the Foreign Ministers also looked forward to effective implementation and rapid and timely response, especially in the ongoing deployment of the open radio access network in Palau and the cybersecurity project in the Philippines. According to the Joint Statement, the group contributed about 5 million USD in aid to Papua New Guinea after the landslide disaster in May 2024.
Quad foreign ministers announced concrete plans to implement the Group's commitments and initiatives, including a commitment to cooperate to strengthen the Indo-Pacific cable network launched in May 2023.
At the Summit, Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced the establishment of the Australian Cable Rehabilitation and Interconnection Centre with the aim of connecting the region to the rest of the world and ensuring Internet transmission speeds and traffic, contributing positively to the Quad partnership in the field of communications and submarine cable cooperation. Secretary Blinken announced that the US committed to training more than 1,000 personnel to operate telecommunications in the region.
In response to the joint statement and this move, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that the Quad countries had “created artificial tensions” and “incited confrontation” in the region.
The Quad leaders' summit will take place in India in late 2024 and the Quad Extraordinary Summit will take place in the US in 2025.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nhom-bo-tu-quyet-tam-doi-pho-thach-thuc-280907.html
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