US hosts Quad meeting amid strained bilateral ties
The four countries, known as the Quad, share concerns about China's growing power but ties have been strained by US President Donald Trump's global tariff offensive from which none of the members have been spared.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, nevertheless, said the meeting had been "very productive".
"Today's gathering will strengthen strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific and keep it free and open," he said in a post on X.
In welcoming his counterparts, Rubio called the Quad countries important strategic partners and said it was time to "deliver action" on specific issues.
He said 30 or 40 companies from Quad countries would meet at the State Department on Tuesday to discuss co-operation, including diversification of the supply chain for critical minerals, which is a sector currently dominated by China.
The meeting offers a chance to refocus attention on the region seen as the primary challenge for the US after Trump was distracted by issues elsewhere, including the recent Israel-Iran conflict.
In January, the Quad said it would meet regularly to prepare for a leaders' summit in India later this year.
Rubio was also to hold bilateral meetings with Japan's Takeshi Iwaya, Jaishankar and Australia's Penny Wong.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier on Tuesday that the US and India were nearing a deal to lower tariffs on US imports and to help India avoid levies rising sharply next week.
Jaishankar told an event in New York on Monday there were hopes of bringing the talks to a successful conclusion, which would require "give and take" to find middle ground.
After the Quad meeting, Jaishankar went to the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he hoped India and the US could build on their defence integration efforts.
"We hope we can complete several major pending US defense sales to India, expand our shared defence industrial co-operation and co-production efforts," Hegseth said at the start of their meeting.
Japan postponed an annual ministerial meeting with the US State and Defense Departments that was supposed to be held on Tuesday.
Press reports said this move followed US pressure for it to boost military spending further than previously requested.
Nicholas Szechenyi, at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said US-Japan ties appeared to have lost momentum since Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump hailed a new golden age in ties at a summit in February.
"The tariff negotiations are all-consuming, and the Japanese appear exasperated by the administration's public lectures on defence spending," Szechenyi said.
The Financial Times said last week the demands came from Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior Pentagon official, whom analysts say has also recently created anxiety in Australia by launching a review of the massive AUKUS project to provide that country with nuclear-powered submarines.
Arthur Sinodinos, Australia's former ambassador to Washington DC and now with the Asia Group consultancy, said bilateral issues could overshadow the meeting, from which the US is keen to see a greater Quad focus on security.
"Australian audiences will be looking for clues on the US stance on AUKUS as well as on trade," he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has hosted his Australian, Indian and Japanese counterparts, seeking to boost efforts to counter China even as trade and other bilateral disagreements introduce friction into the relationships.
The four countries, known as the Quad, share concerns about China's growing power but ties have been strained by US President Donald Trump's global tariff offensive from which none of the members have been spared.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, nevertheless, said the meeting had been "very productive".
"Today's gathering will strengthen strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific and keep it free and open," he said in a post on X.
In welcoming his counterparts, Rubio called the Quad countries important strategic partners and said it was time to "deliver action" on specific issues.
He said 30 or 40 companies from Quad countries would meet at the State Department on Tuesday to discuss co-operation, including diversification of the supply chain for critical minerals, which is a sector currently dominated by China.
The meeting offers a chance to refocus attention on the region seen as the primary challenge for the US after Trump was distracted by issues elsewhere, including the recent Israel-Iran conflict.
In January, the Quad said it would meet regularly to prepare for a leaders' summit in India later this year.
Rubio was also to hold bilateral meetings with Japan's Takeshi Iwaya, Jaishankar and Australia's Penny Wong.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier on Tuesday that the US and India were nearing a deal to lower tariffs on US imports and to help India avoid levies rising sharply next week.
Jaishankar told an event in New York on Monday there were hopes of bringing the talks to a successful conclusion, which would require "give and take" to find middle ground.
After the Quad meeting, Jaishankar went to the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he hoped India and the US could build on their defence integration efforts.
"We hope we can complete several major pending US defense sales to India, expand our shared defence industrial co-operation and co-production efforts," Hegseth said at the start of their meeting.
Japan postponed an annual ministerial meeting with the US State and Defense Departments that was supposed to be held on Tuesday.
Press reports said this move followed US pressure for it to boost military spending further than previously requested.
Nicholas Szechenyi, at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said US-Japan ties appeared to have lost momentum since Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump hailed a new golden age in ties at a summit in February.
"The tariff negotiations are all-consuming, and the Japanese appear exasperated by the administration's public lectures on defence spending," Szechenyi said.
The Financial Times said last week the demands came from Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior Pentagon official, whom analysts say has also recently created anxiety in Australia by launching a review of the massive AUKUS project to provide that country with nuclear-powered submarines.
Arthur Sinodinos, Australia's former ambassador to Washington DC and now with the Asia Group consultancy, said bilateral issues could overshadow the meeting, from which the US is keen to see a greater Quad focus on security.
"Australian audiences will be looking for clues on the US stance on AUKUS as well as on trade," he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has hosted his Australian, Indian and Japanese counterparts, seeking to boost efforts to counter China even as trade and other bilateral disagreements introduce friction into the relationships.
The four countries, known as the Quad, share concerns about China's growing power but ties have been strained by US President Donald Trump's global tariff offensive from which none of the members have been spared.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, nevertheless, said the meeting had been "very productive".
"Today's gathering will strengthen strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific and keep it free and open," he said in a post on X.
In welcoming his counterparts, Rubio called the Quad countries important strategic partners and said it was time to "deliver action" on specific issues.
He said 30 or 40 companies from Quad countries would meet at the State Department on Tuesday to discuss co-operation, including diversification of the supply chain for critical minerals, which is a sector currently dominated by China.
The meeting offers a chance to refocus attention on the region seen as the primary challenge for the US after Trump was distracted by issues elsewhere, including the recent Israel-Iran conflict.
In January, the Quad said it would meet regularly to prepare for a leaders' summit in India later this year.
Rubio was also to hold bilateral meetings with Japan's Takeshi Iwaya, Jaishankar and Australia's Penny Wong.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier on Tuesday that the US and India were nearing a deal to lower tariffs on US imports and to help India avoid levies rising sharply next week.
Jaishankar told an event in New York on Monday there were hopes of bringing the talks to a successful conclusion, which would require "give and take" to find middle ground.
After the Quad meeting, Jaishankar went to the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he hoped India and the US could build on their defence integration efforts.
"We hope we can complete several major pending US defense sales to India, expand our shared defence industrial co-operation and co-production efforts," Hegseth said at the start of their meeting.
Japan postponed an annual ministerial meeting with the US State and Defense Departments that was supposed to be held on Tuesday.
Press reports said this move followed US pressure for it to boost military spending further than previously requested.
Nicholas Szechenyi, at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said US-Japan ties appeared to have lost momentum since Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump hailed a new golden age in ties at a summit in February.
"The tariff negotiations are all-consuming, and the Japanese appear exasperated by the administration's public lectures on defence spending," Szechenyi said.
The Financial Times said last week the demands came from Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior Pentagon official, whom analysts say has also recently created anxiety in Australia by launching a review of the massive AUKUS project to provide that country with nuclear-powered submarines.
Arthur Sinodinos, Australia's former ambassador to Washington DC and now with the Asia Group consultancy, said bilateral issues could overshadow the meeting, from which the US is keen to see a greater Quad focus on security.
"Australian audiences will be looking for clues on the US stance on AUKUS as well as on trade," he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has hosted his Australian, Indian and Japanese counterparts, seeking to boost efforts to counter China even as trade and other bilateral disagreements introduce friction into the relationships.
The four countries, known as the Quad, share concerns about China's growing power but ties have been strained by US President Donald Trump's global tariff offensive from which none of the members have been spared.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, nevertheless, said the meeting had been "very productive".
"Today's gathering will strengthen strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific and keep it free and open," he said in a post on X.
In welcoming his counterparts, Rubio called the Quad countries important strategic partners and said it was time to "deliver action" on specific issues.
He said 30 or 40 companies from Quad countries would meet at the State Department on Tuesday to discuss co-operation, including diversification of the supply chain for critical minerals, which is a sector currently dominated by China.
The meeting offers a chance to refocus attention on the region seen as the primary challenge for the US after Trump was distracted by issues elsewhere, including the recent Israel-Iran conflict.
In January, the Quad said it would meet regularly to prepare for a leaders' summit in India later this year.
Rubio was also to hold bilateral meetings with Japan's Takeshi Iwaya, Jaishankar and Australia's Penny Wong.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier on Tuesday that the US and India were nearing a deal to lower tariffs on US imports and to help India avoid levies rising sharply next week.
Jaishankar told an event in New York on Monday there were hopes of bringing the talks to a successful conclusion, which would require "give and take" to find middle ground.
After the Quad meeting, Jaishankar went to the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he hoped India and the US could build on their defence integration efforts.
"We hope we can complete several major pending US defense sales to India, expand our shared defence industrial co-operation and co-production efforts," Hegseth said at the start of their meeting.
Japan postponed an annual ministerial meeting with the US State and Defense Departments that was supposed to be held on Tuesday.
Press reports said this move followed US pressure for it to boost military spending further than previously requested.
Nicholas Szechenyi, at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said US-Japan ties appeared to have lost momentum since Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump hailed a new golden age in ties at a summit in February.
"The tariff negotiations are all-consuming, and the Japanese appear exasperated by the administration's public lectures on defence spending," Szechenyi said.
The Financial Times said last week the demands came from Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior Pentagon official, whom analysts say has also recently created anxiety in Australia by launching a review of the massive AUKUS project to provide that country with nuclear-powered submarines.
Arthur Sinodinos, Australia's former ambassador to Washington DC and now with the Asia Group consultancy, said bilateral issues could overshadow the meeting, from which the US is keen to see a greater Quad focus on security.
"Australian audiences will be looking for clues on the US stance on AUKUS as well as on trade," he said.
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