NEW DELHI (AP) — Top diplomats from four allied nations convened in India’s capital Tuesday to address ways to bolster their partnership across the Indo-Pacific region amid shared concerns over China’s expanding regional influence.
The diplomatic gathering brought together India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. According to India’s foreign ministry, the diplomats planned to review current Indo-Pacific developments and explore enhanced collaboration between their countries.
The diplomatic leaders are also anticipated to address the Iran war and disrupted energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
These four countries comprise the Quad group, an important strategic alliance focused on maritime security collaboration, supply chain coordination and regional planning as China extends its military and economic reach throughout the Indo-Pacific.
The Quad has consistently criticized China for demonstrating military strength in the South China Sea and forcefully advancing its ocean territorial demands. Beijing argues that its military presence serves defensive purposes to safeguard what it considers China’s rightful sovereignty and characterizes the Quad as an effort to limit its economic development and regional power.
The diplomatic session occurs following U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent visit to China, a journey that New Delhi officials monitored carefully for potential changes in Washington’s strategy toward Beijing.
Rubio, who touched down in India on Saturday, stated that Washington seeks to transform the Quad from a discussion forum into an organization that implements concrete measures on topics such as maritime security and critical minerals. He also mentioned that officials are planning a summit of the four leaders sometime this year, though no specific date has been set.
The four nations had previously planned to conduct a leaders’ summit in India last year, but those arrangements were postponed due to tensions in U.S.-India diplomatic relations, including disputes over tariffs.
