Nikkei Asia reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa hosted her Australian counterpart Penny Wong, Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and US counterpart Antony Blinken at the 8th meeting of the Quad foreign ministers. This was the first meeting of the foreign ministers since the September 2023 meeting. The meeting took place in Tokyo, Japan to discuss enhancing cooperation on economic, security, and humanitarian issues in the Indo-Pacific region.
Reuters also reported that the latest meeting of the Quad foreign ministers aimed to discuss maritime security and cyber defense initiatives.
"Everyone understands that we are facing the most confrontational circumstances in the region in decades. We all cherish the peace, stability, and prosperity of the region and understand that this is not a given," Penny Wong shared with the press in Tokyo, Japan before the meeting.
Amid rising tensions in the South China Sea and East China Sea, the Quad ministers are expected to strengthen their opposition to unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo on the ground as stated in last year's joint declaration.
"We are living in an era where risks in one region can quickly spread to other regions. In this context, we - the Quad - aim to protect and develop prosperity in the Indo-Pacific" through providing "maritime security training" and "cybersecurity development support," noted Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa.
In this year's statement, the Quad foreign ministers are expected to implement the commitments made in 2023 to expand cooperation on cybersecurity and intelligence sharing, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter-terrorism efforts, and technology development, according to Nikkei Asia.
"A major challenge" for the Quad, according to Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar before the meeting, "is ensuring global economic growth while minimizing risks to growth." He stated that supply chains are "a specific focus for resilience" and the Quad is expected to "promote reliable and transparent digital partnerships."
In his opening remarks at the Quad meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized: "We currently have conflicts: Gaza, Ukraine, South Sudan are receiving a lot of attention. But even as we do what we must to try to end these conflicts, we must not lose focus and are indeed steadfastly focused on our shared region."
The Quad foreign ministers' meeting follows the "2+2" session between the Japanese and US Foreign and Defense Ministers on July 28. The US and Japan agreed to closer cooperation between their defense forces in the Indo-Pacific, including restructuring the US force organization in Japan.
After leaving Tokyo, US Secretary of State Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will hold security talks with another Asian ally, the Philippines. Blinken met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Laos on July 27, reiterating that Washington and its partners want to maintain a "free and open Indo-Pacific," according to a US statement about the meeting.
