Quad ministers condemn coercion, terrorism; launch new maritime and critical minerals initiatives
By Aroonim Bhuyan
New Delhi, May 26. Foreign ministers of the four Quad nations – India, Australia, Japan and the United States – on May 26 reaffirmed their commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, strongly opposing unilateral attempts to alter the status quo by force or coercion, while unveiling a series of new initiatives on maritime security, critical minerals, energy resilience and emerging technologies.
Meeting in New Delhi for the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting hosted by India on May 26, the ministers said the Indo-Pacific’s peace and prosperity depended on adherence to international law, sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful resolution of disputes.
In a wide-ranging joint statement issued after the meeting attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, the Quad countries expressed concern over geopolitical tensions, supply-chain disruptions and threats to maritime commerce, warning that instability in key sea lanes could affect global fuel, food and fertiliser security.
The grouping voiced support for diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace in West Asia and stressed the importance of maintaining navigational freedoms and uninterrupted commercial flows through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The ministers condemned attacks on commercial shipping and opposed measures inconsistent with UNCLOS, including the imposition of maritime tolls.
The Quad also sharpened its criticism of developments in the East China Sea and South China Sea, expressing serious concern over coercive and dangerous actions, including interference in offshore resource development, obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight, unsafe manoeuvres by military aircraft and coast guard vessels, and the militarisation of disputed features.
Reaffirming the importance of freedom of navigation and peaceful settlement of maritime disputes, the ministers said the arbitral tribunal ruling delivered a decade ago remained an important basis for resolving disputes in the South China Sea.
The four countries reiterated their commitment to the complete denuclearisation of North Korea and condemned Pyongyang’s ballistic missile and weapons programmes. They also raised concerns over North Korea’s cyber activities and growing military cooperation with other countries, saying such developments undermined the global non-proliferation regime.
On regional issues, the ministers reaffirmed support for ASEAN centrality, the Pacific Islands Forum and the Indian Ocean Rim Association, while expressing concern over the continuing conflict in Myanmar and its spillover effects on regional security and transnational crime.
A major focus of the meeting was maritime and transnational security cooperation. The ministers welcomed India’s operationalisation of the Indian Ocean Region programme under the Quad Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness through the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region in Gurugram. The initiative aims to build a common operational maritime picture across the Indo-Pacific and enhance real-time information sharing on vessel movements.
India will also host the next Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission following the inaugural exercise conducted between Palau and Guam in 2025 to improve interoperability against unlawful maritime activities.
The Quad ministers unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism, and specifically referred to the April 22, 2025, terror attack in Pahalgam and the December 2025 attack at Bondi Beach. They called for stronger international action against terrorist entities, financiers and emerging technological threats exploited by extremist groups.
The grouping also highlighted growing concern over online scam centres operating in parts of Southeast Asia, linking them to human trafficking, cybercrime, drug trafficking and illicit financing networks.
On economic security, the Quad countries announced a new Quad Critical Minerals Framework aimed at diversifying and strengthening supply chains for critical minerals through coordinated policies, investments and partnerships with the private sector. The ministers voiced concern over economic coercion, export restrictions and market distortions affecting critical mineral supplies and strategic industries.
The ministers additionally launched the Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security to promote stable energy markets and resilient energy supply chains amid disruptions to global energy and fertiliser markets.
In the infrastructure sector, the Quad announced plans to work with the government of Fiji on port infrastructure development following the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership Conference hosted by India in 2025.
The ministers also stressed the strategic importance of trusted undersea cable systems and pledged closer coordination to protect digital infrastructure from sabotage and other threats. They noted that all Pacific Islands Forum countries were expected to be connected through undersea cables by 2026 with Quad support.
Emerging technologies featured prominently in the discussions, with the four nations committing to deeper cooperation in secure digital ecosystems, artificial intelligence, 5G and 6G technologies, semiconductor supply chains and digital identity standards.
The statement welcomed “Pax Silica” as part of the Quad’s economic security agenda, emphasising trusted collaboration across the technology supply chain, from critical minerals to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors and computing infrastructure.
The Quad partners also committed to strengthening pharmaceutical and biomanufacturing supply chains to improve regional resilience.
On humanitarian cooperation, the ministers reaffirmed commitments to disaster relief coordination and health security across the Indo-Pacific. They highlighted cooperation during the Papua New Guinea landslide in 2024 and the Myanmar earthquake in 2025, as well as ongoing efforts under the Indo-Pacific Logistics Network to improve rapid-response capabilities during natural disasters.
The ministers said the Quad, as a grouping of leading democracies and maritime nations, remained committed to ensuring that all countries in the Indo-Pacific could prosper free from coercion and looked forward to the next Quad Leaders’ Summit and future ministerial engagements.
