G20 foreign ministers' meeting live updates: Japan's FM Yoshimasa Hayashi offers model 'The Beatles' for Asia's Quad powers

As Asia's "Quad" powers search for ways to define the group, Japan's foreign minister has offered a model -- The Beatles.

Yoshimasa Hayashi, an avid music fan, drew the parallel to the Fab Four on Friday, as he met his Quad counterparts from the United States, Australia and India in New Delhi.

"This is kind of a band like The Beatles. The members are fixed and they always play together (for over) 10 years," Hayashi said.

"But this is more kind of a soft group, so that even within The Beatles, Paul McCartney can release an album solo."

Quad grouping of countries comprising of US, Japan, Australia and India on Friday announced the establishment of a Working Group on Counter-Terrorism in sharpening of the group's focus to combat terror.

A joint statement of the Quad Leaders issued in New Delhi today denounced the use of terrorist proxies and committed to promote accountability for terrorist attacks including the 26/11 attack in Mumbai, "which claimed lives of citizens from all Quad countries". Heavily-armed terrorists from Pakistan struck in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 in which at least 174 people, including 26 foreign nationals, were killed and over 300 people injured.

The United States, Japan, India and Australia expressed concern Friday over the militarisation of waters around China on the heels of a flare-up in tensions between Washington and Beijing.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the foreign ministers of the other three nations met in New Delhi under the auspices of their Quad grouping.

The latest meeting, on the sidelines of a Group of 20 gathering in the Indian capital, comes weeks after Blinken scrapped a trip to Beijing following an alleged Chinese spy balloon's flight over the United States.

In a joint statement issued by host India, the Quad called for "the importance of adherence to international law" in the East and South China Seas "to meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order".

"We strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo or increase tensions in the area," it said.

"We express serious concern at the militarisation of disputed features, the dangerous use of coast guard vessels and maritime militia and efforts to disrupt other countries' offshore resource exploitation activities," it added.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually.

The top diplomats of Australia, India, Japan and the United States said Friday their Indo-Pacific-focused bloc is not aimed at countering China but released a statement littered with buzzwords and phrases that reflect growing unease over China’s influence in the region.Meeting in New Delhi, the four foreign ministers barely mentioned China by name and insisted that the so-called “Quad” is designed to boost their own national interests and improve those of others through enhanced cooperation in non-military areas.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Friday lauded India as a "critical, great power" and said the country's civilisation prowess brought a fresh perspective on dealing with current issues.

Wong participated in the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting presided by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue 2023 held in the national capital Delhi. Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken were the other participants who attended the meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) grouping.

"India is a critical power, great power in the region that there is no reshaping of the Indo-Pacific without India. We've seen that India is a civilisational power that brings a different perspective to some of the challenges of these time," said Wong while replying to President of Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Samir Saran on Australia's assessment of India's growth.

The United States, Japan, India and Australia expressed concern Friday over the militarisation of waters around China on the heels of a flare-up in tensions between Washington and Beijing.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the foreign ministers of the other three nations met in New Delhi under the auspices of their Quad grouping.

The latest meeting, on the sidelines of a Group of 20 gathering in the Indian capital, comes weeks after Blinken scrapped a trip to Beijing following an alleged Chinese spy balloon's flight over the United States.

In a joint statement issued by host India, the Quad called for "the importance of adherence to international law" in the East and South China Seas "to meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order".

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has put a great strain on the global economy, including energy and food security, and Japan is keen to respond to the challenges by working hand-in-hand with India, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Friday.

In an exclusive interview to PTI, Hayashi cited China's "unilateral attempts" to change the status quo by force in East and South China as well as its military activities around Taiwan as the region's challenges and concerns.

The foreign minister said Japan's revised National Security Strategy views China's current external stance and military activities as an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge in ensuring peace and stability of Japan and the international community.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday highlighted three big issues that the Quad and the World needs to address, "resilient supply chain, digital challenge and connectivity," at the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting held on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue 2023.

"Three big issues that Quad and the world needs to address and I think Quad can address and can make a difference. First, more reliable and resilient supply chain, second digital challenge of trust and transparency and third connectivity. I expect these to be a greater part of our agenda," said Jaishankar.

He also said that new things came out during Quad deliberations.

"If we allow Russia to do what it is doing in Ukraine then that's a message to the aggressors everwhere that they may be able to get away with it too," Blinken said at the discussion chaired by external affairs minister S Jaishankar and where Foreign Ministers of Australia, Penny Wong and Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi participated.

"For us the future is so much in Indo-Pacific...Even as we are rightly focussed on what is happening in Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression, not just because it matters to Ukrainians and to Ukraine and Europe, but because it matters to the entire world," Blinken said.

The eighth edition of the Raisina Dialogue, from March 2-4 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and chief guest Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni delivered the keynote speech .

The conference, organised under the theme "Provocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Lighthouse in the Tempest?" is witnessing the participation of representatives from over 100 countries.

"Quad is not a military grouping...but one of the things that we are doing through the Quad is trying to bring together not only governments, academia, experts to look at where we can collaborate together on the technology, on innovation, benefits in other areas that remains to be seen. But clearly, our four countries in particular are very well placed to increase in a variety of ways our collaboration...," Blinken said.

Quad according to the US Secretary of State is a force for good, positive, and affirmative action.

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad is not a military grouping, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, adding it is now engaged in working together to help countries to deal with humanitarian situations in natural disasters."We are working on things that are really critical," Blinken said at a panel discussion of the Quad Foreign Ministers themed "The Quad Squad: Power and Purpose of the Polygon" in the national capital.The Quad Foreign Ministers meet on the sidelines of the eighth edition of the Raisina Dialogue the flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-strategy organised by the Ministry of External Affairs with the Observer Research Foundation. India, US, Japan and Australia are members of the Quad grouping.

The foreign ministers said the Quad is acting as a force for regional and global good, and it will be guided by the priorities of the Indo-Pacific region through its positive and constructive agenda.

The statement said through the Quad, the countries seek to support the region through practical cooperation on contemporary challenges such as health security, climate change and the clean energy transition, critical and emerging technologies, infrastructure and connectivity.

It also talked about addressing the debt crisis through sustainable, transparent and fair lending and financing practices.

"We concur that the rules-based international order is anchored in international law, including the UN Charter, and the principles of sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity of all states," it said.

"We are committed to cooperate to address attempts to unilaterally subvert the UN and international system, in consultation with our partners and through multilateral and international platforms," it added.

"Our meeting today reaffirms the Quad's steadfast commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient," a joint statement said.

"We strongly support the principles of freedom, rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes without resorting to threat or use of force and freedom of navigation and overflight, and oppose any unilateral attempt to change the status quo, all of which are essential to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and beyond," it said.

The foreign ministers of Quad countries on Friday reaffirmed the grouping's commitment for a free and open Indo-Pacific, and said it strongly supports the principles of rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity and peaceful settlement of disputes.

The Quad foreign ministers carried out a comprehensive review of the situation in the Indo-Pacific at a meeting presided over by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australia's Penny Wong.