‘Dragon is in every room’: Expert says Quad backs free Indo-Pacific despite China assertion

The Quad nations on Tuesday strongly reaffirmed their commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, with foreign ministers of India, the United States, Japan and Australia stressing the importance of maritime security, freedom of navigation and a rules-based order amid growing strategic tensions in the region.

While none of the leaders directly named China during their remarks after the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Delhi, their statements were widely seen as directed at Beijing’s growing maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and the South China Sea.

The leaders repeatedly emphasised the need to oppose coercion, maintain open sea lanes and strengthen regional resilience.

Former ambassador Anil Trigunayat said that the core principle binding the Quad partners was the protection of “freedom of navigation and a rules-based order”. Speaking to Firstpost, he said that the four countries viewed oceans as “global commons” that must remain free from the dominance of any single power.

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Trigunayat said that the Quad’s language was carefully calibrated even when China was not named directly. “Dragon is in every room but they don’t call him out traditionally,” he remarked, suggesting that Beijing remained the unspoken focus behind much of the grouping’s Indo-Pacific strategy.

He added that the newly announced maritime surveillance cooperation mechanism could closely work with the Information Fusion Centre located in Gurugram.

Jaishankar highlights growing importance of Indo-Pacific

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the Indo-Pacific would become increasingly important in the coming years due to expanding economic activity, energy trade and maritime commerce.

“A free and open Indo-Pacific has many dimensions and facets,” Jaishankar said, adding that the Quad had reviewed progress across several areas while exploring new avenues of cooperation.

He also described the meeting as “substantive and productive” and noted that the four maritime democracies had exchanged perspectives on issues central to the Indo-Pacific region. Jaishankar said that cooperation had steadily expanded in areas such as maritime surveillance, logistics, undersea cables, training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

Maritime surveillance initiatives

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced two major maritime initiatives aimed at strengthening Indo-Pacific security cooperation.

The first was the launch of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Cooperation Initiative, which seeks to integrate maritime surveillance capabilities of the Quad countries to improve information-sharing.

Rubio also announced the expansion of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative, which will provide near-real-time commercial maritime tracking data to countries across the region.

The announcements come amid rising concerns over military activity and territorial disputes in the South China Sea and surrounding waters.

Japan warns against coercion and force

Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said that the Quad remained central to achieving a “free and open Indo-Pacific” and stressed that countries in the region must have the ability to determine their own future.

Motegi said that the ministers had agreed to “strongly oppose attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion”, remarks that were widely interpreted as a signal towards China’s actions in disputed maritime regions.

He added that the Quad’s role was becoming more important amid changing international circumstances and increasing geopolitical uncertainty.

The meeting ultimately underlined the Quad’s attempt to position itself as a stabilising force in the Indo-Pacific through stronger maritime cooperation, strategic coordination and support for a rules-based regional order.

China says Quad should not target ‘third party’

Responding to the Quad’s renewed emphasis on a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, China said that regional cooperation should not be directed against any third country or lead to bloc-based confrontation.

According to Reuters, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing believed cooperation among countries should contribute to “regional peace, stability and prosperity” rather than undermine trust among nations in the Indo-Pacific.

“We also do not support the formation of exclusive cliques or bloc confrontation. No cooperation should undermine mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries,” Mao said during a regular press briefing.