Foreign Minister Jaishankar targeted China without naming it in an important meeting of the foreign ministers of the Quad countries – Australia, India, Japan and America – in the national capital Delhi on Friday. For the past several years, Jaishankar protested against China becoming a shield for Pakistani terrorists in the United Nations (UN). He clearly said that there should be no politics regarding the declaration of terrorists. Actually, China has tried many times in the United Nations to save the terrorists of Pakistan. On the other hand, China is enraged at the meeting of the Quad countries. It has criticized the meeting, saying that countries should contribute to regional stability.
According to ‘India Today’, Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki was recently listed in the United Nations Security Council. This is being done continuously for three years, but China stops it every time. Apart from a safer Indo-Pacific, the Quad also announced the establishment of a counter-terrorism working group to shift its focus to combating terror. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said, “We agreed on a counter-terrorism working group. We agreed to cooperate more closely with the Indian Ocean Rim Association.”
The joint statement issued condemned terrorism, violent extremism and referred to cross-border terrorism, Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks and Pathankot attacks, in the context of India. The Quad also condemned the attacks and demanded justice for the victims. The foreign ministers expressed the commitment of the four-member grouping to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and said that it strongly supports the rule of law, sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful resolution of disputes. All four countries are democracies and support the common interest of free maritime trade and security. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong met.
The four ministers also took part in the Raisina Dialogue.
After the meeting, the four ministers participated in a session of ‘Raisina Dialogue’ and talked about the convergence of interests of the Quad member countries. Blinken said, “For us, the future is very much tied to the Indo-Pacific. Across the region, our engagement through the Quad and through other means is as broad and deep as ever.” Blinken and Wang are in India to attend the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, while Hayashi is in Delhi to attend the Quad’s meeting . “We strongly support the principles of independence, rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity, freedom of maritime and air transport and peaceful settlement of disputes instead of resorting to threat or use of force,” the statement said. ‘
China criticized the Quad meeting
On the other hand, China once again criticized the Quad group meeting and said that the purpose of talks between the countries should be to advance peace and development. Hitting out at the Quad, China said countries should contribute to mutual trust and regional stability instead of focusing on exclusivity. Reacting to the Quad meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, “We think that countries should make more efforts to contribute to mutual trust, peace and stability at the regional level.”
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