The Quad emphasised the need for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region against the backdrop of fresh tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea, as the foreign ministers of India, Australia, Japan and the US met in Manila on Wednesday to discuss maritime security and regional challenges.Quad foreign ministers in Manila. (X)This was the second meeting of Quad foreign ministers since May and came two days after a confrontation between vessels of the Philippines and China in the South China Sea left a Filipino sailor injured. India last week reiterated its support for a 2016 ruling by an international tribunal in favour of the Philippines that rejected China’s expansive territorial claims over the South China Sea.A joint statement on cooperation with Asean issued after the meeting of external affairs minister S Jaishankar, Australian foreign minister Penny Wong, Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi and US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the Quad is “united in our conviction that peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain underpin the security and prosperity of the region”.The four Quad member states, as comprehensive strategic partners of Asean, reiterated their “commitment to strengthening a free and open Indo-Pacific and our unwavering support for Asean unity and centrality”, the statement said. The Quad foreign ministers met on the margins of Asean-related meetings in Manila.“We are deeply invested in the region’s success and in cooperating with Asean and its member states,” the statement said, adding that the foreign ministers discussed “regional challenges and opportunities” to strengthen support for the practical implementation of the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).This will be done through Quad’s shared priorities of maritime and trans-national security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technologies, and humanitarian assistance and emergency response.Jaishankar said on social media the Quad foreign ministers reviewed “the Indo-Pacific landscape and discussed recent developments”. They also followed up on the outcomes of their meeting in New Delhi in May.“Committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific with a recognition of Asean centrality,” he said.Rubio said the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting emphasised the joint message that “strong cooperation is vital to supporting Asean’s own priority and centrality in the region”. The US, India, Australia and Japan share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific grounded in the rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.“The Quad remains a priority, and we will meet again later this year,” he said without giving details.Japan’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the hour-long Quad foreign ministers’ meeting confirmed that the grouping will continue advancing “concrete cooperation to realise a Free and Open Indo-Pacific” that focuses on maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical technologies, and humanitarian assistance.Motegi said it is “very significant” that the Quad ministers gathered again so soon after their meeting in May, and this meeting on the margins of Asean-related meetings sends a strong message that Quad is committed to promoting cooperation that benefits the region.The ministers held candid discussions and “aligned their perspectives” on the situations in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, including the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Motegi also shared strong opposition to “any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion and grave concerns over export restrictions, including on critical minerals”.The four ministers “expressed that they look forward to the convening of the next Quad Leaders’ Summit and foreign ministers’ meeting”, the Japanese statement said.The confrontation between the vessels of the Philippines and China occurred on Monday near Second Thomas Shoal, where a grounded Philippine warship serves as a military outpost. China claims almost all of the South China Sea and has demanded the outpost be removed, even though it is within the Philippines’s 370-km exclusive economic zone and almost 1,000 km from mainland China.The Philippines won the 2016 case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which ruled China’s claim of sovereignty in the South China Sea had no basis under international law. China has rejected the ruling and said in a statement on Sunday that the tribunal’s award is “nothing but a worthless piece of paper”.India believes the arbitral tribunal’s award is a “significant milestone and the basis for peacefully resolving disputes”, the external affairs ministry said.