US, Japan, Australia, India foreign ministers express ‘serious concern’ over situation in South China Sea

Washington : Apna Punjab Media : US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts in the so-called Quad grouping issued a joint statement calling for a “free and open” Pacific after talks in Tokyo. The statement did not name China directly but referenced a series of recent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea. “We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion,” the communique said. “We continue to express our serious concern about the militarization of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating maneuvers in the South China Sea,” it added. The group also condemned North Korea’s “destabilizing” missile launches. Their words prompted ire from Beijing, which accused the four nations of “creating tension, inciting confrontation, and containing the development of other countries”. Blinken is on a tour of Asia-Pacific countries aimed at reinforcing regional cooperation in the face of Beijing’s growing assertiveness and its deepening ties with Russia.