The Quartet opposes changing the status quo in the East Sea, implicitly criticizing China 0
(Dan Tri) – The foreign ministers of four countries, the US, Japan, India and Australia, have sent implicit messages to China regarding the East Sea issue.
The Foreign Ministers of the US, Japan, India and Australia met in Tokyo in October 2020.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on February 18 attended an online meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar within the `Quad` cooperation framework.
According to an announcement by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretary of State Blinken and his three counterparts discussed a series of global issues, including North Korea, Myanmar, Covid-19 and the tense situation in the East Sea.
`Foreign Minister Motegi expressed deep concern about the China Coast Guard Law,` the statement said, referring to China’s new law intended to allow the country’s coast guard vessels to open fire on foreign vessels and destroy them.
`The four Ministers agreed to strongly oppose unilateral and forceful efforts to change the status quo in the East and East China Seas,` the announcement added.
Japan has repeatedly emphasized the importance of complying with international law in the context of Chinese ships regularly operating in the Senkaku Islands area in the East China Sea – where Japan and China have disputes.
The announcement from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the four diplomats all want an `open and free Indo-Pacific region, including supporting freedom of movement and territorial integrity`.
`The Foreign Ministers also welcomed the positive efforts of other countries, including those in Europe, towards a free and open Indo-Pacific region,` the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price on February 18 also announced the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the four countries within the framework of the `Quad`.
`The Ministers discussed four-way cooperation in responding to Covid-19 and climate change and committed to working together to solve these global challenges,` Mr. Price said.
According to a US State Department spokesperson, the four Secretaries of State also discussed dealing with false information, counterterrorism, maritime security, and the urgent need to restore a democratically elected government in Myanmar.
A US State Department spokesperson said the Foreign Ministers also agreed to hold an annual meeting within the framework of the Quad to `strengthen cooperation to promote an open and free Indo-Pacific region`.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the meeting’s participants had `deep` discussions on many issues.
The Foreign Ministers also agreed on the importance of high-level cooperation within the Quad framework.
The Quad meeting took place in the context of US-China tensions that have not yet cooled down in the first weeks of President Biden’s term.
