Beijing: China on Friday reaffirmed its criticism of the Quad grouping comprising the US, India, Australia and Japan, saying state-by-state dialogue should advance peace and development and contribute to mutual trust and regional stability rather than exclusivity. should give. The Quad foreign ministers comprehensively reviewed the situation in the Indo-Pacific at a meeting in New Delhi on Friday. The meeting, chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, was attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
The meeting took place in the backdrop of growing global concerns over China’s increasing aggression in the strategically important region.
A joint statement issued after the meeting reaffirmed the four-nation grouping’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and said it strongly supports the principles of rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity and peaceful resolution of disputes .
Responding to the Quad’s statement at a media briefing here, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said China believes that state-to-state dialogue should be in line with the trend of the times which is peace and development rather than exclusivity. .
“We think countries should do more to contribute to regional mutual trust, peace and regional stability,” he said, reaffirming Beijing’s repeated opposition to the Quad that it is intended to prevent China’s rise. There is a special block by purpose.
In November 2017, India, Japan, the US and Australia gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up a Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the vital sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free from any influence.
US President Joe Biden hosted the first summit of Quad leaders in virtual format in March 2021, vowing to strive for an Indo-Pacific region that is linked to the values of free, open, inclusive, democratic, and coercive is unrestricted from A subtle message to China.
Beijing claims about 1.3 million square miles of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in territory claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
On China’s reluctance with Russia to support a joint statement on the Ukraine war at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, spokesman Mao said the G20 is a major forum for international economic cooperation.
The G20 foreign ministers meeting in New Delhi failed to issue a joint communique amid growing bitterness between the US-led Western powers and Russia over the Ukraine conflict despite repeated attempts by host India to bridge the differences.
Mao said at the Bali summit last year, the leaders of all 20-member bloc had made it clear that the G20 is not a forum to resolve security issues and China believes the grouping needs to be based on the common understanding of the leaders. Must follow and focus on this responsibility. Contribute to promoting stable, inclusive and sustainable economic recovery.
Mao said, “Some G20 members hold different views on the Ukraine crisis. We hope that members can respect each other and show solidarity and cooperation instead of division and mutual recriminations.”
On China’s views on the outcome of the New Delhi meeting of the G20 foreign ministers, he said: “We believe that the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting is an important forum, especially given the international background and challenges”.
“We hope the G20 can show responsibility and make due contributions to world economic recovery and development,” he said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang attended the meeting.
The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies. Members represent approximately 85 percent of global GDP, more than 75 percent of global trade, and nearly two-thirds of the world population.
The group includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, US and European countries. Federation.