NEW DELHI — India, the United States, Australia and Japan have announced new initiatives on maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and unveiled plans for their first joint port infrastructure project in Fiji.
The foreign ministers of the four countries made the announcement at a meeting of the Quad, a strategic security grouping focused on the Indo-Pacific at a meeting in New Delhi this week. The move to boost cooperation comes amid concerns about China’s growing influence in this region.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the maritime surveillance agreement is “going to leverage each of our country’s maritime surveillance capabilities in the Indo-Pacific to enhance information sharing.”
The aim is to integrate the four countries’ capabilities to help partner countries in the region access new maritime technologies for tracking activity in their waters, according to officials.
The Quad will also upgrade port infrastructure in Fiji, a South Pacific island nation, marking the group’s first joint regional infrastructure project. The partnership, according to Rubio comes in response to “insufficient port capacity in the Pacific Islands.”
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called the decision to invest in port development in Fiji the strongest ever commitment from the Quad to the Pacific. “It is a practical demonstration of our collective ability to deliver high quality, resilient infrastructure in partnership with the region and in response to Pacific priorities.”
The announcement to build port infrastructure in Fiji comes amid China’s deepening ties with the South Pacific island, which straddles vital sea lanes. Beijing has become a key development partner for the small country, funding several infrastructure projects.
“This is a good initiative because it will signal to China that it cannot take its presence in the South Pacific for granted. By deepening their engagement with Fiji and with their united presence, the Quad countries will try to blunt China’s influence which is increasing by the day and offer an alternative to Chinese investments,” according to Chintamani Mahapatra, chairman of the Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies in New Delhi.
The group did not mention China by name, but a joint statement issued at the end of the Quad meeting said it remained “seriously concerned” about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
“We reiterate our strong opposition to any destabilizing or unilateral actions including by force or coercion that threaten peace and stability in the region,” it said.
The statement also criticized “dangerous maneuvers by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels” and the “ramming or blocking actions in the South China Sea.” It expressed serious concern “by the militarization of disputed features” in the waters.
The Quad partners often accuse China of flexing its military muscles and aggressively pushing its maritime territorial claims. China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, has built military facilities on contested features and has disputes with several Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, who also claim parts of the waters. China and Japan have a separate dispute over territory in the East China Sea.
Analysts said the recent meeting will inject momentum into the Quad group which was seen as a counterweight to growing Chinese influence and aggression in the Asia-Pacific region, but which critics said was losing momentum.
Calling the Quad a partnership of action, Rubio said “We are beginning to show real achievements and real accomplishments. We are deeply committed to this partnership. It is a linchpin and a cornerstone of our global strategy as a nation in the United States.”
Analyst Mahapatra said the recent meeting demonstrated that the Trump administration remains invested in the grouping.
“The Quad was perceived by many as a group losing steam but this meeting in Delhi indicated that the Quad is not dead,” according to Mahapatra.
“Without confronting China, these initiatives will signal that countermeasures are being taken so that Chinese hegemony should not be established in the Indo Pacific,” he said.
China, which criticizes the Quad as a Cold War-style bloc reiterated its opposition to the group following the foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi.
In response to a question about the Quad initiatives, Beijing said that cooperation among countries should promote regional peace and stability and not target third parties.
“We do not support forming exclusive small groupings or bloc confrontation. Any cooperation should not undermine mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in Beijing on Tuesday.
The Quad also agreed to launch an initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security and a critical minerals framework.