Quad vows ‘trusted, transparent’ partnerships to keep Indo-Pacific a driver of global growth: Jaishankar

The Indo-Pacific must remain a driver for global growth and stability, and the Quad must work towards ensuring maritime security and promoting economic choices in the region, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

In his opening remarks at the Quad foreign ministers' meeting, he specifically called for "trusted and transparent" partnerships to bring peace and prosperity to the Indo-Pacific.

The New Delhi meeting was attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, with Jaishankar presiding over it.

The Quad meeting came amid rising global concerns over China's increasing military muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific.

"Our focus will clearly be on the Indo-Pacific, which is the specific limit of the Quad," the external affairs minister said in his televised opening remarks.

"At the global level, we have to address issues like supply chain resilience, connectivity choke points, manufacturing and resource concentrations and gaps in critical infrastructure. Each one of them offers a new argument for more partnerships," he said.

Jaishankar, without elaborating, also talked about specific "concerns" facing the Indo-Pacific.

"This will require enhancing strategic confidence, ensuring maritime security, promoting economic choices, and fostering a deeper collaborative ethos. And that is best done by promoting trusted and transparent partnerships," he said.

The external affairs minister added, "As maritime democracies, pluralistic societies and market economies, we share the responsibility towards a free and open Indo-Pacific. The region must remain a driver for global growth and stability."

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for making the Quad as strong and as effective as possible.

We are determined to continue the momentum of the Quad, and we want a peaceful, stable, prosperous Indo-Pacific, she said.

Rubio said the areas in which the Quad has been working together became more relevant because of recent events around the world.

Quad can address some of the most significant problems facing the world, including in areas of energy security, freedom of navigation, and critical minerals, he said.

The Quad countries also launched a new Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Cooperation initiative aimed at strengthening regional maritime security and enhancing information sharing across the Indo-Pacific, signalling a sharper operational focus for the four-nation grouping.