India on Friday asserted that the QUAD grouping was not directed against any country and was focused on delivering practical benefits across the Indo-Pacific, responding to China’s remarks that the four-nation coalition should not target a third party or create bloc confrontation.Reacting to Beijing’s comments, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the QUAD was a constructive platform aimed at cooperation in areas such as climate action, health, disaster management and regional development.“The QUAD is not against anybody. QUAD is about doing projects together for the benefit of people in the Indo-Pacific area. The QUAD has taken up projects and initiatives in the field of climate action, health, disaster management and several other areas,” Jaiswal said.He urged critics to refer to the grouping’s recent joint statement and fact sheet, saying the platform had developed an “expansive agenda” focused on improving lives both within member countries and across the wider Indo-Pacific region.“The idea there is to bring value to people’s lives among the four countries of the QUAD as well as the countries with whom we are working in the region,” he said.The response came after China reiterated its opposition to what it described as exclusive blocs and confrontation politics following the latest meeting of QUAD foreign ministers.Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning had earlier said cooperation between countries should contribute to “regional peace, stability and prosperity” and should not target any third party.“We also do not support the formation of exclusive cliques or bloc confrontation. No cooperation should undermine mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries,” Mao had said a couple of days back during a media briefing in Beijing.The latest exchange comes amid intensifying strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific, where the QUAD — comprising India, the United States, Japan and Australia — has expanded cooperation across critical technologies, maritime security, supply chains, infrastructure and disaster response.At the recent meeting, the four countries agreed to jointly build a port in Fiji and signed agreements covering critical minerals and energy security, underlining the grouping’s growing regional footprint.While China has frequently viewed the QUAD with suspicion, describing it as an attempt to contain Beijing’s rise, member countries have consistently maintained that the platform is intended to support a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific rather than function as a military alliance.