Foreign Minister Penny Wong and India’s Minister for External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar met at QUAD meeting in Tokyo. Senator Wong said: “Australia is working with India, a leader in the region, towards an Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, stable and prosperous.”
In his opening remarks at a foreign ministerial conclave of Quad, Dr S. Jaishankar said a clear message should be sent that the Quad is “here to stay, here to do and here to go.”
Senator Wong announced at the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting that Australia will allocate $18 million to establish the “Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre” in Canberra. This initiative aims to support Indo-Pacific countries developing new cable networks, enhancing regional communication infrastructure.
The announcement coincides with reports that Chinese diplomats are pressuring politicians from at least six countries, including Bolivia, Colombia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Bosnia, and one unnamed Asian nation, to avoid attending a China-focused summit in Taiwan.
These representatives have reported receiving texts, calls, and urgent meeting requests conflicting with their plans to travel to Taipei for the IPAC summit, hosted by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
The Quad nations emphasised their commitment to a “positive” regional agenda but also addressed concerns about China’s growing influence. In a joint statement, they criticised China’s “militarisation of disputed features” and “coercive and intimidating manoeuvres” in the South and East China Seas.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa highlighted the Quad’s efforts against information manipulation and foreign interference. The Quad countries have been supporting Asia-Pacific nations in infrastructure development, maritime surveillance, and efforts to prevent Chinese companies from controlling critical undersea telecommunication cables.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the importance of undersea cables, stating, “These cables connect all of us; upward of 95 per cent of digital traffic is carried by these cables, every millisecond of the day.”
The new centre aims to enhance the resilience of these vital networks, ensuring secure and reliable communications across the region. It will also provide technical assistance and training, involving both government and industry experts.
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