The Quad, or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, has additional responsibilities of maintaining a rules-based order and cooperation within the grouping to ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains free and secure, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Monday, July 29, 2024 amidst growing Chinese assertiveness in Asia.
With his introductory remarks at the foreign ministers’ conclave of Quad, Mr. Jaishankar noted that there was a need for clear message to go across about the permanency of Quad’s existence, continuity of its functions and its dynamics. “As political democracies, pluralistic societies and market economies there is an important question here about rule based order,” said Mr Jaishankar.
“Our collaboration only can guarantee that Indo-Pacific region remains free still open stable secure and prosperous with commitment to doing global good that we all have made having reverberations far beyond our shores,” he added.
Therefore it is essential that our political understanding strengthens; our economic partnerships grow; our technology collaborations expand; our people-to-people comfort intensifies”, he stressed as the External Affairs Minister.
Others present at the meeting included US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Australia’s Penny Wong besides Mr. Jaishankar.
“More than ever before this summit should tell us one thing: we are not going anywhere . As such it must be transmitted publicly even though this will be communicated implicitly without saying so directly ,” said Mr. Jaishankar.
Without mentioning China by name she spoke of “respecting sovereignty and managing competition responsibly.”
Working together towards building a region “where size or power do not determine a country’s fate… This is where none dominates over others while no country feels itself being dominated over.” “Where we all share in our aspirations.” “And have choices available to realise those aspirations. Over the last two years I have seen the Quad’s commitment to this vision of the Indo-Pacific,” she said.
‘Global economic growth’
In his remarks, Mr Jaishankar also spoke about global economic growth and how it can be worked towards de-risking it.
“Times are hard. It is a significant challenge to ensure global economic growth with de-risking. It is important for supply chains as we build resilience, even while we aspire for trusted and transparent digital partnerships,” he said.
“Progress in technology has reached extraordinary proportions, shaping our lives thought and action in the future. In some way we are amidst a process of deglobalisation,’ he concluded.
“At the same time, it is only our collective endeavours that can make up for any disruption within or outside the international system that may arise from manmade or natural disasters,” Mr. Jaishankar said.
This quad foreign ministerial meeting is taking place while Russia-Ukraine conflict continues unabated and Hamas-Israel hostilities continue to escalate.
Accordingly, issues being discussed by Quad foreign ministers during their interactions may include what geo-political instability across various parts of the world implies.
