In the first Quad declaration that is perceived as criticising both Russia and China, India joined other members in asking for a “just and durable peace in Ukraine” and respect for a rules-based order in the South and East China Seas.
Both Russia and China responded angrily to the statement, labelling the Quad grouping disruptive and “exclusiopnary,” which was made during the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar hosted in Delhi. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also attended the meeting
The use or threat of using nuclear weapons is unacceptable, according to a joint statement issued here following the sixth meeting of the Quadrilateral Foreign Ministers. “We continued to discuss our responses to the conflict in Ukraine and the immense human suffering it is causing,” the statement read. The UN Charter, as well as respect for “sovereignty, territorial integrity, transparency, and peaceful resolution of disputes,” were also urged in the statement, which also emphasised the need for a comprehensive, just, and long-lasting peace in Ukraine.
The 18-paragraph statement criticised any “unilateral activities that seek to disrupt the status quo or exacerbate tensions in the area”—a reference to current tensions over Taiwan—and urged for increased Quadrilateral cooperation in support of the ASEAN Perspective on the Indo-Pacific. The statement continued, “We express serious concern at the militarization of disputed features, the dangerous use of coast guard vessels and maritime militia, and efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities.” This was in reference to events in the South and East China Seas. The “Quad Maritime Security Working Group” meeting in Washington later this month was also announced.