Japan, US, Australia, India to boost cooperation on Indo-Pacific
The meeting in Washington, hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is seen as part of efforts to lay the groundwork for a summit of the so-called Quad grouping that India is due to host in its capital New Delhi this fall.
The Quad is not a security alliance, but it has often been regarded as a counterweight to China's growing influence in the region, with its areas of cooperation expanding rapidly, ranging from maritime security and infrastructure to health protection and emerging technologies.
Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar last met together in January, just a day after Donald Trump began his second presidency.
At the time, they released a joint statement saying that the countries are "committed to strengthening regional maritime, economic, and technology security in the face of increasing threats, as well as promoting reliable and resilient supply chains."
Without singling out any country, they also voiced strong opposition to any unilateral actions that attempt to change the status quo "by force or coercion."
The birth of the grouping dates back to when the countries coordinated emergency responses and humanitarian aid following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
The Quad was elevated to the foreign ministerial level in 2019, during Trump's first presidency, before being boosted to leader level in 2021 under his successor Joe Biden.
Despite Trump's skepticism about tackling global and regional challenges multilaterally, he has consistently placed great importance on the Quad framework, and it is likely that his first trip to Asia during his second term will coincide with this year's four-way summit.
On the sidelines of the meeting on Tuesday, Iwaya is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Rubio, Wong and Jaishankar.
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