China slams New Delhi Quad meeting; opposes exclusivity

Beijing: China on Friday reaffirmed its criticism of the Quad grouping comprising the US, India, Australia and Japan, saying the state-to-state interactions should pursue peace and development and contribute to mutual trust and regional stability rather than exclusivity.The Quad foreign ministers carried out a comprehensive review of the situation in the Indo-Pacific at a meeting in New Delhi on Friday. Presided over by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the meeting was attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australian foreign minister Penny Wong.The meeting came against the backdrop of growing global concerns over increasing Chinese assertiveness in the strategically-vital 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 settlement of disputes.Responding to the Quad statement at a media briefing here, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China believes that state-to-state interactions should be in line with the trend of the time which is peace and development rather than exclusivity.“We think that countries should do more to contribute to regional mutual trust, peace and regional stability,” she said, reaffirming Beijing’s oft-repeated opposition to Quad that it is an exclusive bloc aimed at containing China’s rise.