China has slammed the Quad alliance between Japan, Australia, the United States and India, describing it as "a tool to contain China."
"The so-called Quad mechanism is, in nature, a tool to contain and circle China, and preserve America's hegemony," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Friday
"It's a man-made provocation of confrontation that undermines the international unity and cooperation."
Mr Lijian urged the countries to abandon the "outdated cold war mentality, correct their wrong approach of advancing group confrontation and playing up geopolitical games, and play a constructive role for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region."
It comes as the Quad look at recruiting nations as "dialogue" partners and ramp up efforts to bust misinformation, as the autocratic Russian and China regimes foster closer ties.
for the fourth Quad talks.
Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the "overarching" theme of the main meeting centred on the Indo-Pacific, a region where she believes her nation's presence is "growing exponentially".
Collectively, the four-pronged pact agreed the Quad would investigate what dialogue with other partners may look like in future and vowed to strengthen cyber and counter-tourism cooperation.
Senator Payne said the latter pledge would include joint efforts to address the threat of ransomware attacks and boost maritime security support for Indo-Pacific partners.
The delivery of COVID-19 vaccines will also be fast-tracked to developing nations, with Australia to invest millions more into an existing scheme.
The Quad partnership was created last year in the face of China's mounting influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked on Friday if a conflict with China in the region was preordained.
"Nothing is inevitable," he told reporters.
"We share concerns that in recent years China has been acting more aggressively at home and more aggressively in the region and indeed potentially beyond."
On the sidelines of the Winter Olympics, China and Russia agreed to a "no limits" pact to back each other amid pushback from the West.
The four foreign ministers, as well as Prime Minister Scott Morrison, met in Melbourne on Friday for the fourth Quad talks. Source: AAP/Pool Reuters
Senator Payne said the joint statement that flowed from the bilateral meeting was "concerning because it doesn't represent a global order which squares with ambitions for freedom and openness and sovereignty".
"We'll continue to ensure that our contributions are about stabilising the rule-based order, about contributing to security and stability and prosperity," she said of the Quad's reaction.
Mr Blinken's trip to Australia represents the first cabinet-level official US visit under Joe Biden's presidency. Senator Payne said it affirmed the US' commitment to peace and stability.
But Mr Blinken issued an ominous warning to anyone in Australia who believes Russian aggression in Ukraine won't have real-world repercussions in the Indo-Pacific, including for Australia.
In a clear reference to Beijing, he said "others are watching" how the crisis on the Ukrainian border plays out.
"If we allow those principles to be challenged with impunity, even if it's half a world away, that will have an impact here as well," he said.
"Others are looking to all of us to see how we respond."
Mr Blinken said earlier the Quad partnership was growing stronger and working together more effectively to meet the growing challenges to peace posed by the likes of Russia and China.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison was reassured by the support from Australia's Quad partners, with the world being a "very fragile, fragmented and contested" place.
"Each of us stand for a world order that favours freedom and particularly here in a free and open Indo-Pacific," he said.
Speaking before the Quad meeting, Indian external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the country's relationship with Australia was becoming much closer as India's strength and interests continue to grow.
Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar speaks during a press conference following the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Melbourne. Source: AAP
Mr Jaishankar said the US would not be able to underpin global security by itself as the world continues to shift.
Japan has offered to host the next Quad leaders summit in the first half of 2022, and Senator Payne will meet with the Asian nation's foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi for one-on-one talks on Saturday.
