The leaders of the four countries issued a joint statement expressing serious concern over the intimidation exercises in the South China Sea – The leaders of the four countries expressed serious concern over the intimidation exercises in the South China Sea

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met on Saturday at the fourth Quad leaders’ summit in Wilmington, Delaware, the United States. During this, these global leaders expressed serious concerns over coercion and fear-mongering activities in the South China Sea.

In a joint statement, the leaders of the United States, India, Australia and Japan opposed actions by other countries to undermine offshore resource extraction and said maritime disputes should be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law.

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The Wilmington Quad statement said, “We express serious concern about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. We once again express our serious concern about the militarization of disputed islands and reefs and acts of coercion and intimidation in the South China Sea. We also condemn the disruption of offshore resource development by other countries, including the increased use of maritime militias, and maritime disputes should be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

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The leaders stressed their firm belief that maintaining peace, security and stability in the maritime domain and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as international law, will be a top priority. “We stress the importance of respecting international law, in particular as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in addressing the challenges facing the global rules-based order of the oceans, including the law of the sea claims,” the declaration stated.

It’s the Indian Ocean

The statement further stated, “We emphasize that the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award is an important milestone and the basis for the peaceful settlement of disputes among all parties.” The Quad leaders expressed their commitment to working with Pacific island countries to achieve common aspirations and address common challenges.

“We are committed to strengthening cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. We strongly support the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) as the premier forum in the Indian Ocean region to address the challenges of the region,” the statement said. “We acknowledge India’s leadership in finalizing the agreement. We thank Sri Lanka for assuming the IORA Chair this year and look forward to assuming the Indian IORA Chair in 2025.”

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The joint statement of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting issued on July 29 this year stated that member states are jointly pursuing a positive and pragmatic agenda to support sustainable development, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.