Washington DC, July 3 -- US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mignon Houston while speaking about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea said that the Quad members are major maritime partners.

Houston said that these countries understand the maritime issues that these countries face.

She said, "We heard from the four Quad partners in the joint statement that there are serious concerns about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea... These four partners have focused on the fact that we want to see respect for the rule of the sea and freedom of navigation... The Quad countries are major maritime partners. They understand the vulnerabilities when freedom of navigation is not respected, which enco...