U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host the foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan today to seek to increase the balance against China despite friction caused by trade and other bilateral differences.
Reuters reported that the Quad members, the United States, Japan, India and Australia, share concerns about China’s growing influence, but their relations have been strained by President Trump’s global tariff offensive. None of the three members are immune to Trump’s tariff measures.
Other issues have also put pressure on relations.
Japan postponed the “2+2” meeting of foreign and defense ministers with the United States that was scheduled for today. Media reports said Washington is pressuring Tokyo to further increase defense spending. Japan is a critical ally of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region.
Meanwhile, Trump claimed that he intervened and threatened to block trade talks to prevent India and Pakistan from getting into a major conflict. However, New Delhi and Trump disagreed.
Marco Rubio hosted a meeting of Quad foreign ministers immediately after taking office on January 21 this year, highlighting the importance of the Indo-Pacific region.
After today’s Quad foreign ministers’ meeting, Rubio is expected to hold bilateral talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters yesterday that Quad partners will “reaffirm our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
“This ministerial meeting reinforces our shared resolve to defend our sovereignty, strengthen regional maritime security, and build resilient supply chains,” she said.
Jaishankar mentioned the relationship with the United States at an event in New York yesterday, saying that “the relationship will never be perfect.” He emphasized: “What matters is the ability to solve problems and maintain positive trends.”
