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Quad unveils critical minerals and Indo-Pacific initiatives

New Delhi, July 2 (UNI) The foreign ministers of India, Australia, Japan, and the US -- members of the Quad -- have emphasized their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, underscoring the need to respect international law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. The bloc also launched key initiatives, including the Quad Critical Minerals Partnership, aimed at securing reliable and diversified supply chains to bolster regional resilience and shared prosperity. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japan's Takeshi Iwaya issued a joint Quad statement following their meeting in Washington. The leaders discussed the opportunities and challenges in the Indo-Pacific and how to further harness the Quad's strengths and resources to advance peace, security, and prosperity in cooperation with regional partners. In their joint statement, QUAD nations announced a new, ambitious, and strong "agenda focused on four key areas: maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technology, and humanitarian assistance and emergency response, "adding that "through this renewed focus, we will sharpen the Quad's ability to leverage our resources to address the region's most pressing challenges". Joining hands to advance shared objectives for the region, the joint statement said, "QUAD cooperation with and support for ASEAN and its centrality and unity, the Pacific Islands Forum and Pacific-led regional groupings, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) remain unwavering". Additionally, the member countries expressed serious concern about the situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea. "We reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. We express our serious concerns regarding dangerous and provocative actions, including interference with offshore resource development, the repeated obstruction of the freedoms of navigation and overflight, and the dangerous maneuvers by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels, especially the unsafe use of water cannons and ramming or blocking actions in the South China Sea. These actions threaten peace and stability in the region," the statement added. Quad nations expressed concerned "by the militarization of disputed features" and emphasized the "importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea, and unimpeded commerce consistent with international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)". The Foreign Ministers involving the grouping affirmed that maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, and reiterate that the award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal on July 12, 2016 is a significant milestone and the basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties. Laying importance about the abrupt constriction and future reliability of key supply chains, specifically for critical minerals which also includes the use of non-market policies and practices for critical minerals, certain derivative products, and mineral processing technology. "We underscore the importance of diversified and reliable global supply chains. Reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation, and supply chain disruptions, which further harms our economic and national security," it added. "We condemn North Korea's destabilizing launches using ballistic missile technology and its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula consistent with relevant UNSCRs, and we urge North Korea to abide by all its obligations under the UNSCRs. We also express grave concern over North Korea's malicious cyber activity, including cryptocurrency theft and use of workers abroad to fund North Korea's unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. We will continue to support efforts to address contraventions of North Korea-related UNSCRs," it added. The member countries urged all UN member States through the joint statement to abide by their international obligations under the UNSCRs to implement sanctions, including the prohibition on the transfer to North Korea or procurement from North Korea of all arms and related materiel. The leaders expressed deep concern about countries that are deepening military cooperation with North Korea, which directly undermines the global nonproliferation regime. We reconfirm the necessity of immediate resolution of the abductions issue. The joint statement also mentioned the worsening crisis in Myanmar and its impact on the region and it called on the regime to adhere to its commitment to a ceasefire, and called on all parties to implement, extend and broaden ceasefire measures. "We reaffirm our strong support for ASEAN's efforts, including calling for the full and effective implementation of the Five Point Consensus in seeking an inclusive, durable, and peaceful resolution to the crisis. We call on all parties to allow safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance. We are also concerned about the impact of the crisis on regional security and the spread of transnational crimes. We are committed to fighting cybercrime and online scam operations," the statement said. "In the face of these challenges, we are proud to announce today key initiatives that the Quad is advancing to strengthen maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technology, and support humanitarian assistance and emergency response across the Indo-Pacific It also launched the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, an ambitious expansion of the partnership to strengthen economic security and collective resilience by collaborating to secure and diversify critical minerals supply chains," it said. "We continue to deepen our cooperation on maritime law enforcement cooperation through regional training initiatives, maritime legal dialogues, and Coast Guard cooperation. We plan to host the first Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network field training exercise this year to strengthen shared airlift capacity and leverage our collective logistics strengths to respond to natural disasters more rapidly and efficiently, providing support for regional partners," it said. "We also plan to launch the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership in Mumbai this year. We continue to coordinate rapid responses to regional disasters and collectively contributed over USD $30 million in humanitarian assistance to support communities affected by the earthquake that struck central Myanmar in March 2025. We will continue to counter foreign efforts to push false narratives and interfere with Quad interests in the Indo-Pacific," it said. As the Quad continues to evolve, the four democracies remain committed to deepening our cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and ensuring our cooperation has an enduring impact on the region's top challenges and opportunities in the 21st century. The next Quad Leaders' Summit will be hosted by India later this year and the next Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting will be hosted by Australia in 2026. The member countries unequivocally condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives. Expressing condolences to the victims' families and wishing the injured a speedy recovery, the ministers reaffirmed their collective resolve to combat terrorism in all its forms. "The Quad unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and renews our commitment to counterterrorism cooperation. We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, while injuring several others. We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and extend our heartfelt wishes for a swift and full recovery to all those injured," the joint statement said. The bloc even urged the perpetrators of the terror act to be brought to justice without any delay. "We call for the perpetrators, organizers, and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay and urge all UN Member States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant UNSCRs, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard," it said. QUAD leaders underscore their commitment to defending the rule of law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. As four leading maritime nations in the Indo-Pacific, QUAD nations are united in their conviction that peace and stability in the maritime domain underpin the security and prosperity of the region. "We are committed to a region where all countries are free from coercion and strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion, " the joint statement said. UNI AAB PRS

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