India Snubs Beijing’s Criticism Of The Quad
Melbourne/New Delhi, Feb 12: India on Saturday snubbed Beijing’s criticism of the Quad, saying the grouping is here to do positive things and by criticizing it repeatedly it doesn’t make the bloc less credible.
Responding to a question on China’s foreign ministry statement on the Fourth Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at a press conference in Melbourne: “We’re here to do positive things. “We are here to contribute to the peace, prosperity and stability of the (Indo-Pacific) region and so I think our record and actions and our stance is fairly clear, and by criticizing it repeatedly it doesn’t make us less credible.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, to a question on the Quad meeting, said on Friday: “China believes that the so-called Quad group cobbled together by the US, Japan, India and Australia is essentially a tool for containing and besieging China to maintain US hegemony. “It aims to stoke confrontation and undermine international solidarity and cooperation. “I want to stress that as the Cold War is long over, the attempt to forge a so-called alliance to contain China wins no support and leads nowhere. Relevant countries should abandon the antiquated Cold War mentality, correct the wrong approach of bloc confrontation and geopolitical games, and contribute to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific,” the Chinese spokesperson said.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, in her remarks at the press conference today, said that the Quad has a “very positive agenda.. that we are not against anything”.
“What I can say is that we have absolutely reinforced in our discussion yesterday and all of the work that is being done by multiple working groups and agencies and officials in relation to the very positive agenda that the Quad has — that we are not against anything. “We are about building confidence and resilience, about promoting a region in which all countries are able to be and feel sovereign and secure without the threat of coercion or intimidation.
“…For Australia the Quad is a very complementary part of the network on relationships that we have, regionally and internationally. “Australia has welcomed the growth of China over the years, but we have always said that we will also act for the protection of our national interest as any sovereign nation would.”
Australia and China share very tense relations, which has impacted Canberra’s exports to Beijing, and is one of the reasons for its keenness to expand business with India.
