US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Tuesday hosted foreign ministers from Australia, India, and Japan for a meeting aimed at reaffirming the importance of global cooperation in countering growing influence from China. This marked Rubio’s first engagement in office following President Donald Trump’s second-term inauguration on Monday.
The meeting brought together foreign ministers from the Quad at the State Department Australia’s Penny Wong, India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Japan’s Takeshi Iwaya. Rubio said the discussion would be aimed at coordinating actions with key allies over issues that directly impact the United States and its citizens. Among the areas the Quad nations have in common are concerns over the rise of Chinese military and economic influence, particularly within the Indo-Pacific region.
While the ministers were posing with Rubio in front of their flags, no word was said to the press. Analysts point out that the meeting indicates countering Beijing will be at the top of the agenda for the new US administration despite Trump’s move to delay new tariffs on China and avoid labelling the country a direct threat.
Rubio said that there needs to be even more work with international partners on mutual goals. A Quad meeting is being described as a major step forward in building and strengthening alliances among nations that will serve to counter rising threats from China. Besides, preparations for a leaders’ summit of the future among the Quad nations are under discussion, and an informal summit meeting between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to take place next month.
Australia’s Wong said it was committed to close cooperation, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, and emphasized that the efforts of the Quad were crucial for regional security. The push for stronger ties by the Quad will now be on cybersecurity, defense cooperation, and advancement of countermeasures to China’s territorial claims, particularly in the South China Sea.
