‘Quad not aimed at any geography’: India counters China narrative on Fiji port projects

India on Tuesday pushed back against suggestions that the Quad group was directed against any specific country, asserting that its primary focus remained on delivering practical and development-oriented projects across the Indo-Pacific region.

The clarification came after the Quad foreign ministers announced a landmark joint port infrastructure initiative in Fiji and unveiled new maritime cooperation measures during their meeting in New Delhi.

The Quad nations — India, the United States, Japan and Australia — also reiterated their commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, with discussions focused on maritime security, energy resilience, critical supply chains and freedom of navigation amid growing strategic tensions in the region.

While no country was named directly, the Quad’s emphasis on opposing coercion and preserving open sea lanes was widely viewed as an indirect response to concerns over China’s expanding assertive nature in the Indo-Pacific.

More from India

Responding to China’s concern that the Quad should not target a “third party” or create bloc confrontation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the grouping should not be viewed through a narrow geopolitical lens.

“Quad’s existence is not to address a particular geography. Our focus has always been to deliver practical projects,” the MEA said, highlighting initiatives undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic, including vaccine cooperation among Quad countries.

Fiji port project takes centre stage

One of the key announcements from the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting was the launch of the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership, under which the four countries will jointly work on port infrastructure development in Fiji.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the Fiji initiative as the first time Quad partners would collectively fund and develop a port infrastructure project in the Pacific region. He said the project could serve as a model for future infrastructure cooperation across the Indo-Pacific.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called it the “strongest ever commitment” from the Quad towards the Pacific region, particularly at a time when strategic competition and economic pressures were intensifying.

Maritime surveillance and Indo-Pacific security

The Quad ministers also announced the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration initiative, aimed at integrating maritime surveillance capabilities of all four countries to improve information-sharing and provide near real-time maritime awareness across key shipping routes.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the Quad discussions focused heavily on ensuring safe and unimpeded maritime commerce while reaffirming the importance of international law.

The MEA clarified that the maritime initiative should not be interpreted as militarisation of the Quad, saying the effort was primarily intended to help countries monitor “grey ships” and “dark ships” involved in suspicious maritime activity, illegal fishing and trafficking.

China reacts to Quad messaging

Reacting to the Quad’s renewed Indo-Pacific push, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that regional cooperation should contribute to peace and prosperity rather than undermine trust among countries.

However, Quad ministers continued to stress the need for a rules-based order and stronger regional resilience.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said that the group opposed attempts to “unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion”, remarks widely interpreted as aimed at Beijing’s actions in contested maritime regions.