Modi said that the Quad leaders have gathered at a time when the world is surrounded by tensions and conflicts.
Wilmington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the Quad is not against anyone, but for a rules-based international order and respect for sovereignty, in a veiled reference to China.
“Free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific is our priority,” Modi said in his opening remarks on Saturday at the summit hosted by President Joe Biden and also attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“We are not against anyone. We all support a rules-based international order, respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and peaceful resolution of all issues,” Modi said, without naming any country.
China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims.
“Our message is clear — Quad is here to stay, to assist, to partner and to complement,” Modi said.
“Together we have taken many positive and inclusive initiatives in areas like health security, critical and emerging technologies, climate change, capacity building,” he said.
He said that the Quad leaders have gathered at a time when the world is surrounded by tensions and conflicts.
“At such a time, the working together of Quad with its democratic values is significant for the entire human race,” the prime minister said.
“Glad to have met Quad Leaders during today’s Summit in Wilmington, Delaware. The discussions were fruitful, focusing on how Quad can keep working to further global good. We will keep working together in key sectors like healthcare, technology, climate change and capacity building,” Modi said in a post on X.
During the meeting, the leaders discussed novel ways of cooperating with partners in Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and South Asia while reviewing and steering the direction for the future of Quad cooperation, a senior administration official told reporters after the meeting.
Calling their conversation “wide-ranging”, the official said the talks ranged from deepening security and the maritime security space, the Quad logistics network, and ways to deepen humanitarian assistance and disaster relief cooperation.
Responding to a question, the official said North Korea was also touched on, and more was supposed to be discussed during the dinner.
“There’s a lot of alignment in our perspectives on North Korea,” said the official, pointing to the joint statement, which has the strongest language against North Korea that the Quad has ever offered.
