Roving Periscope: Quad to support Pacific Island countries, ASEAN

Virendra Pandit 

New Delhi: A day after Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang warned against “bloc politics” at the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) here, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) asserted that the four-nation group of democratic countries opposed any “unilateral actions” seeking to change the status quo or increase tensions in the Pacific Ocean area, and announced it would support the island countries there, and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The move is seen as a strong move to counter China’s increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific Region and the ASEAN area.

In a joint statement on Friday, the Quad members—the US, India, Australia, and Japan—said: “We are committed to supporting Pacific Island countries in line with the objectives of the Pacific Islands Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, guided by Pacific priorities of climate change, resilient infrastructure, and maritime security.”

India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong attended the Quad Foreign Ministers Meet here on Friday on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue, 2023.

“We support regional institutions in the Pacific and are also further strengthening our cooperation with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), to address the region’s most pressing and important challenges. We welcome India’s leadership in finalizing the IORA Outlook on the Indo-Pacific,” the statement added.

Defying the laid down UN conventions and international maritime laws, China has for long been trying to hegemonize its control over the entire sea waters. Largely because of the Chinese belligerence in the South China Sea, major world powers have shifted goalposts from other areas of conflict to the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Recognizing that peace and security in the maritime domain underpin the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific, the Quad group opposed any unilateral actions seeking to change the status quo or increase tensions in the area.

“Our meeting today reaffirms the Quad’s steadfast commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient. We strongly support the principles of freedom, rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes without resorting to threat or use of force, and freedom of navigation and overflight, and oppose any unilateral attempt to change the status quo, all of which are essential to the peace, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.”

The present geo-political situation in the Indo-Pacific is fraught with major irritants destabilizing the region. There is a need to establish common standards to form the basis of deeper integration in the future and to ensure equal access to global commons for all countries as a right under international law.

“We reiterate the importance of adherence to international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the South and East China Seas.”

“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.”

“We reiterate our conviction that the Quad, acting as a force for regional and global good, will be guided by the priorities of the Indo-Pacific region through its positive and constructive agenda,” it added.

The quad members also reaffirmed consistent and unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity, and the ASEAN-led architecture- including the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum.

“We remain committed to supporting the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and will be guided in our work by ASEAN’s principles and priorities.”.

They also welcomed Indonesia’s 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship and vowed to support its Chair theme “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.”

“We identify tangible areas for the Quad to support the work of ASEAN. In addition, we are committed to further strengthening our respective relationships with ASEAN, thus creating a platform for greater Quad collaboration in support of the AOIP.”

The Quad leaders also focussed on deepening engagement with regional partners, including through information-sharing, capacity-building, and technical assistance, to strengthen maritime domain awareness; counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; enhance their capacity to protect and develop offshore resources, consistent with UNCLOS; ensure freedom of navigation and overflight; and promote the safety and security of sea lines of communication.

“We look forward to continuing these discussions at the Quad Maritime Security Working Group meeting hosted by the United States in Washington DC in March 2023. In this context, we welcome the progress made under the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA),” the statement added.