Japan, U.S., Australia, India to Cooperate in Maritime Security

Jiji Press

11:47 JST, September 23, 2024

Wilmington, Delaware (Jiji Press)—Leaders from the Quad countries of Japan, the United States, Australia and India on Saturday agreed to enhance cooperation in maritime security amid China’s increasing coercive moves in waters off Asia.

In a meeting near Wilmington, Delaware, the Quad leaders of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi adopted a joint statement.

The Wilmington Declaration said the leaders “are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China seas.” The leaders also agreed to strengthen collaboration in maritime security, including through joint monitoring of suspicious vessels in the Indo-Pacific region.

The four countries, along with other partner nations, have been cooperating in such monitoring activities, particularly in response to China’s illicit fishing practices. Starting in 2025, coast guard staff from Japan, Australia, and India will board U.S. Coast Guard patrol vessels for limited periods to observe sea law enforcement activities.

The declaration said that the four countries will also start a joint training program in the maritime security area.

“We strongly oppose any destabilizing or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion,” the four leaders said in the statement without criticizing China by name.

Regarding North Korea, they condemned “recent illicit missile launches in the region that violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.” The statement also showed their “deepest concern” about the war in Ukraine, caused by Russia’s invasion.

At the outset of the meeting, Kishida said, “It’s important that the four countries keep demonstrating to the international community their firm commitment to the common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Biden stated that the four nations are more strategically aligned than ever before.

It was the first Quad summit since the gathering in Hiroshima, western Japan, in May 2023. The summit this time was originally slated to be held in India, but the venue was changed to the United States in line with Biden’s wish to host it following his decision to leave office at the end of his current term.

Wilmington is Biden’s hometown. He chose the high school he attended near the city as the venue of the Quad summit. For outgoing Kishida, this was the final attendance at a Quad summit.

The next Quad summit is set to take place in India in 2025.