South China Sea 'issue of great concern' to Quad, 'common priority' to keep it free of conflict: Jaishankar

The Quad foreign ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to defending the rule of law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in the Indo-Pacific.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on July 2 said the South China Sea remains an "issue of great concern" for all the four members of the Quad.

The Quad, which is held a foreign ministers' meeting on July 1 in Washington, includes India, the US, Australia and Japan.

The foreign minister said all the countries share a "common priority" to keep the region peaceful and free of any conflict due to their shared interests.

"On South China Sea, there was some discussion as it is an issue of great concern... The issue is to find a solution to the disputes pertaining to that. The Quad members all have a shared interest because for us it's a very important international waterway, how to ensure that it stays calm and free of conflict is something which is a common priority," Jaishankar said.

Following the meeting, the four countries issued a joint statement reiterating their strong opposition to any unilateral actions that attempt to alter the status quo by force or coercion.

"We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea. We reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. We express our serious concerns regarding dangerous and provocative actions, including interference with offshore resource development, the repeated obstruction of the freedoms of navigation and overflight, and the dangerous manoeuvres by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels, especially the unsafe use of water cannons and ramming or blocking actions in the South China Sea," the statement read.

"These actions threaten peace and stability in the region. We are seriously concerned by the militarisation of disputed features. We emphasise the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea, and unimpeded commerce consistent with international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," it added.

The Quad foreign ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to defending the rule of law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in the Indo-Pacific.

"We are committed to a region where all countries are free from coercion and strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion," the statement said.
During the meeting, the leaders discussed the challenges and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific and how they could further leverage the Quad's collective strength to advance peace, security and prosperity, in partnership with regional partners.

With ANI inputs