Jha Washington, Dec 18: Senior officials from the United States, Australia, India, and Japan met virtually Friday as part of regular Quad consultations to advance a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. Quad is the informal grouping of four major democracies in the region: US, Australia, Japan and India. The meeting followed the productive discussions held in Tokyo during the second Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on October 6, the State Department said in a readout.
The four democracies discussed practical ways to cooperate on countering disinformation, to strengthen supply chain resiliency, and to coordinate efforts to support countries vulnerable to malign and coercive economic actions in the Indo-Pacific region, it said. “The participants also explored opportunities for future Quad engagement on topics ranging from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to coordinating efforts on COVID-19 response and vaccines and expanding coordination in multilateral forums, including the United Nations and related organisations, the State Department said. During the meeting, the officials reviewed recent strategic developments throughout the Indo-Pacific region, including the South China Sea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Mekong sub-region. The officials reaffirmed the Quad’s strong support for ASEAN centrality and ASEAN-led regional architecture. The four countries welcome the opportunity to continue regular consultations, including at the Ministerial, senior official, and working levels as a testament to the growing diversity and depth of engagement among the Quad members, the department said.
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