China responds to Quad FMs meeting, says its claims over South China Sea 'completely justified'

Beijing: China on Wednesday said its activities and claims over the South China Sea are legitimate and “completely justified”, reacting to the Quad Foreign Ministers' assertions “strongly” opposing any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion in the Indo Pacific region.

Responding to a question on the Quad foreign ministers' meeting in Washington on Tuesday during which they reaffirmed their commitment for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, “China’s activities in relevant waters are lawful, legitimate and completely justified”.

She reiterated her opposition to Quad consisting of the US, India, Australia and Japan, stating that China has always advocated that cooperation among countries should not target third parties.  “China believes that cooperation between countries should not target any third party,” she said.

“Engaging in group politics and bloc confrontation will not bring lasting peace and security, and is not conducive to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and the world as a whole,” she said.

“We hope that relevant parties will do more things that help enhance mutual trust and cooperation between countries,” she said.

China claims most of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.  China also claims sovereignty over the disputed Senkaku islands in the East China Sea also claimed by Japan.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the Quad meeting, the first to be held after the swearing-in of US President Donald Trump.

The newly appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held his first multilateral meeting with his Quad counterparts Jaishankar, Penny Wong from Australia and Japan's Iwaya Takeshi.

The Joint Statement issued after the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting reaffirmed "our shared commitment to strengthening a Free and Open Indo-Pacific where the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty, and territorial integrity are upheld and defended."

"Our four nations maintain our conviction that international law, economic opportunity, peace, stability, and security in all domains including the maritime domain underpin the development and prosperity of the peoples of the Indo-Pacific. We also strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion," it said.

"We are committed to strengthening regional maritime, economic, and technology security in the face of increasing threats, as well as promoting reliable and resilient supply chains," it said.

"We look forward to advancing the work of the Quad in the coming months and will meet together on a regular basis as we prepare for the next Quad Leaders’ Summit hosted by India," it said.