We oppose creation of exclusive ‘small cliques’: China on Quad statement

China's Foreign Ministry formally responded to the Quad Foreign Ministers' Joint Statement issued after the Quad meeting held in New Delhi on 26 May 2026, op...

What Happened

China's Foreign Ministry formally responded to the Quad Foreign Ministers' Joint Statement issued after the Quad meeting held in New Delhi on 26 May 2026, opposing what it described as the creation of "exclusive small cliques" in the Indo-Pacific.
At the New Delhi meeting, the four Quad partners — India, the United States, Japan, and Australia — announced three concrete initiatives: the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC), a joint port infrastructure project in Fiji, and the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework.
The Quad's maritime surveillance initiative creates a Common Operating Picture integrating real-time surveillance data across strategic shipping lanes, with an initial focus on the Indian Ocean Region.
China's response invoked the principle of inclusiveness versus bloc-based regionalism, arguing that like-minded groupings such as the Quad undermine ASEAN centrality and create "containment" architectures in the region.
The Quad meeting took place against the backdrop of China's expanding naval presence in the Indo-Pacific and the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis affecting energy supply chains.

Static Topic Bridges

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) — Origins, Revival, and Structure

The Quad is a strategic grouping of four democracies: India, the United States, Japan, and Australia. It was first convened informally in 2007, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila, partly motivated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami response. However, it was disbanded in 2008 following Australia's withdrawal. The Quad was formally revived in 2017 during ASEAN Summits in Manila, and elevated to the heads-of-government (summit) level in March 2021. The Quad does not have a formal charter, permanent secretariat, or standing military command — it is a consultative and coordination mechanism. Its stated objectives centre on a "free, open, prosperous, and inclusive Indo-Pacific."

First Quad meeting: May 2007, Manila (sidelines of ASEAN Regional Forum); founding motivated partly by 2004 tsunami response
Disbanded: 2008, following Australia's withdrawal under Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
Revived: November 2017, Manila; working-group level at first
Elevated to Leaders' Summit: March 2021 (virtual); first in-person Leaders' Summit: September 2021, Washington DC
Exercise Malabar: naval exercise that now includes all four Quad members; originally a bilateral US–India exercise started in 1992; Japan made a permanent member in 2015; Australia joined in 2020
Quad does not have a formal charter or treaty basis; it is a non-binding minilateral grouping

Connection to this news: China's opposition frames the Quad as an "exclusive clique" — a characterisation the Quad rejects by emphasising that its Indo-Pacific vision is "free, open, and inclusive." The New Delhi meeting deepened the Quad's institutional footprint through concrete deliverables.

China's Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence (Panchsheel) and ASEAN Centrality

China consistently invokes the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence (Panchsheel) — mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence — as the normative framework for regional order. These principles were first formally codified in the preamble to the Agreement on Trade and Intercourse between the Tibet Region of China and India, signed on 29 April 1954, and gained broader currency at the Bandung Conference (1955), which laid the groundwork for the Non-Aligned Movement. China argues that the Quad's security architecture violates non-interference and creates an exclusive grouping at odds with these principles.

ASEAN Centrality refers to ASEAN's claim to be the primary driver of the regional architecture in the Indo-Pacific — with ASEAN-led forums (ASEAN Regional Forum, East Asia Summit, ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus) as the preferred multilateral mechanisms. China supports ASEAN centrality rhetorically because it places a Southeast Asian multilateral body — one more susceptible to Chinese influence — at the core of regional security, rather than US-led minilaterals such as the Quad.

Panchsheel / Five Principles: first codified 29 April 1954, Sino-Indian Trade Agreement; popularised at Bandung Conference, April 1955
Bandung Conference (1955): 29 Asian and African nations; laid groundwork for Non-Aligned Movement (formally founded 1961, Belgrade)
ASEAN founded: 8 August 1967 (Bangkok Declaration); current membership: 10 states
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF): established 1994; 27 members including India, US, China, EU; primary multilateral security dialogue in Asia-Pacific
East Asia Summit (EAS): established 2005; India, US, Russia joined in 2011; 18 members; ASEAN-chaired
India's position: supports ASEAN centrality in the Indo-Pacific; simultaneously a founding member of the revived Quad

Connection to this news: China's criticism of the Quad as an "exclusive clique" draws on both Panchsheel and ASEAN centrality arguments — framing the Quad as a containment mechanism that bypasses the inclusive multilateral forums China prefers.

Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC)

The IPMSC announced at the New Delhi meeting is the Quad's first formal, structured maritime surveillance initiative. It integrates the maritime surveillance capabilities of all four Quad members to establish a Common Operating Picture and share near real-time data across strategic shipping lanes, with an initial focus on the Indian Ocean Region. This builds on existing bilateral and trilateral agreements — including the India-US Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA, 2020), which enables real-time geospatial intelligence sharing, and the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA, 2016). Collectively, the four Quad members operate some of the most sophisticated maritime patrol and satellite surveillance capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.

India-US foundational defence agreements signed: GSOMIA (2002), LEMOA (2016), COMCASA (2018), BECA (2020)
BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, October 2020): enables sharing of geospatial intelligence and topographic data
LEMOA (Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement, August 2016): mutual use of military logistics facilities
Indian Ocean Region (IOR): over 100,000 ships transit annually; ~80% of world's seaborne oil trade passes through IOR
India's maritime doctrine: "SAGAR" — Security and Growth for All in the Region (announced 2015)

Connection to this news: The IPMSC operationalises the Quad's strategic rationale — collective maritime domain awareness — and directly responds to concerns about China's growing naval presence and grey-zone activities in the Indo-Pacific.

Key Facts & Data

Quad members: India, USA, Japan, Australia
First Quad meeting: May 2007, Manila
Quad revived: November 2017; elevated to Leaders' Summit: March 2021
Exercise Malabar: started 1992 (India–US bilateral); Australia joined 2020
Panchsheel Agreement: 29 April 1954; Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence
Bandung Conference: April 1955; 29 nations
ASEAN founded: 8 August 1967; 10 members
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF): established 1994; 27 members
East Asia Summit: established 2005; 18 members
India's SAGAR doctrine: announced 2015 (Security and Growth for All in the Region)
BECA signed: October 2020 (India–US geospatial intelligence sharing)