Quad countries announce surveillance network and Fiji port project

The Quad group of Australia, the United States, India and Japan announced a new initiative to build shared surveillance capabilities and expand cooperation on critical minerals, according to a joint statement released after a meeting in New Delhi. The statement said the four governments and private investors would mobilize US$20 billion to strengthen critical mineral supply chains and identify projects inside each member country.

The group also agreed to combine surveillance resources and provide commercial vessels with enhanced real-time maritime information.

Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong said the Quad would assist port development in Fiji. “We recognise our obligation – our responsibility – to provide real choices, particularly as strategic circumstances in our region are deteriorating,” Wong said. The statement set a goal of connecting South Pacific islands with undersea cables by the end of the year.