Tokyo:Quad foreign ministers decry dangerous South China Sea actions
TOKYO: Foreign ministers from Australia, India, Japan and the United States said on Monday (Jul 29) that they were seriously concerned about intimidating and dangerous manoeuvres in the South China Sea and pledged to bolster maritime security in the region.
The joint statement came after talks between the so-called "Quad" countries in Tokyo, attended by Australia's Penny Wong, India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japan's Yoko Kamikawa and Antony Blinken from the US."We are charting a course for a more secure and open Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean region by bolstering maritime security," Blinken said in remarks to reporters after the meeting.
"In practical terms what does this mean? It means strengthening the capacity of partners across the region to know what's happening in their own waters," he added.
He said the US would continue to work with its partners to ensure freedom of navigation and the unimpeded flow of lawful maritime commerce.
The US announced plans on Sunday for a major revamp of its military command in Japan. It was among several measures announced by the allies to address what they said was an "evolving security environment", noting various threats from China including its muscular maritime activities.
"Uncertainty surrounding the international order as well as the international situation has been increasing with Russia continuing its aggression in Ukraine, attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the East China Sea and South China Sea, and the launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea," Japan's Kamikawa said after the talks.
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