Quad

“… it’s (border standoff) an issue in which a lot of countries legitimately take interest, particularly if they are from the Indo-Pacific region. And because the situation has arisen due to the disregard by China in 2020 of written agreements with us, not to amass forces at the border. So, when a large country disregards written commitments, I think it’s an issue of legitimate concern for the entire international community,” EAM said in a joint press brief after a bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart.

"We call on all countries to ensure that territory under their control is not used to launch terror attacks and to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of such attacks," the Foreign Ministers of the Quad nations said in a joint statement after their meeting in Australia's Melbourne.

“China seeks peace, development, and cooperation. We advance the building of an Asia-Pacific security system that is open, inclusive, and not targeting any third country… We hope that the US and relevant countries can get a clear picture of the situation, feel relaxed, abandon the Cold War mentality," said Zhao Lijian, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.

Speaking at a webinar organized by the Centre for Global India Insight (CGII), Juster said that the US and India should join a mega-trade bloc to check Beijing’s economic domination in the region. Juster further said that China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region is fueling India’s enthusiasm and participation in tackling its neighbour.

It also sent a strong message to the Taliban and was echoed during Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi address when he said that it was absolutely essential to ensure that Afghanistan's territory is not used to spread terrorism and for terrorist activities. Modi also warned Pakistan that using terrorism as a "political tool" was an equally big threat for them as well. And quite rightly so.

The call came on Friday at the end of the first in-person summit of the four countries in Washington, reports Yonhap News Agency. "We urge North Korea to abide by its UN obligations, refrain from provocations. We also call on North Korea to engage in substantive dialogue," they added.

"On the basis of democratic values, Quad with positive ideas and a positive approach is determined to move forward," Modi said on Friday at the White House seated around a flower-bedecked island with the other leaders, President Joe Biden and Prime Ministers Yoshihide Suga of Japan and Scott Morrison of Australia.

"I do want to underscore that the Quad is an unofficial gathering, although we have a number of working groups and we are deepening cooperation on a very daily basis. It is also the case that it is not a regional security organisation. We are going to address particular issues associated with the challenges confronting the Indo-Pacific in the current environment. And I think that's what the leaders want to focus (on Friday)," the official said.

Addressing the virtual summit on Global Covid-19, Biden said that the move has come to boost the global supply by the end of 2022, as he spoke about measures to combat the Covid-19 pandemic across the world. Biden further emphasised that vaccination is the ultimate solution to Covid-19.

He was welcomed by US officials, Indian diplomats and members of the Indian diaspora when he landed at the Joint Base Andrews, a military airport outside Washington that is used by VIPs, Wednesday evening. On Friday, he will have a personal meeting with Biden, their first after the president's election.