On October 31, commencing shortly after 9:00 a.m. local time (10:00 p.m., JST) for approximately 40 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting Atlanta, the United States of America., to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (Quad) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia, H.E. Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India, and the Honorable Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States of America. On the occasion of the meeting, the Quad Joint Press Release on Economic Prosperity and Security was issued.
- At the outset, Minister MOTEGI welcomed the convening of the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting for the third time this year, following the meetings in May and July. He stated that this meeting, held on the margins of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, is a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate the outcomes of practical cooperation, particularly including in the economic field. The four ministers reaffirmed that they would steadily advance concrete cooperation among the Quad toward the realization of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).
- The four ministers held candid discussions building on the Foreign Ministers’ Meetings held in May and July, and aligned their perspectives on the situations in the Indo-Pacific region, including in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, as well as the Middle East. Minister MOTEGI expressed strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. In addition, the four ministers expressed grave concerns regarding economic coercion, including through arbitrary export restrictions as well as non-market policies and practices that result in overcapacity to disrupt global supply chain in critical industries. Minister MOTEGI also emphasized the commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and the importance of addressing malicious cyber activities, and expressed appreciation for the consistent support of the governments of the United States, Australia, and India toward the immediate resolution of the abductions issue.
- The four ministers confirmed that the Quad will continue to promote tangible initiatives that benefit the region, focusing on the four priority areas of maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technologies, and humanitarian assistance and emergency response. They also affirmed the importance of economic security in maintaining global stability and prosperity, and emphasized their commitment to building reliable and open global supply chains and trusted and resilient infrastructure. Furthermore, the four ministers expressed their intention to support efforts to promote the adoption and innovation of trusted AI (SI (Super Intelligence)) technologies in the Indo-Pacific, and welcomed progress in Quad cooperation, including the launch of the “Quad Business Leaders’ Forum.”
- The four ministers expressed that they look forward to the convening of the next Quad Leaders’ Summit and the next Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and concurred on maintaining close coordination within the Quad framework.
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