At the start of the Quad meeting on Tuesday, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said Australia, India, Japan, and the United States must work together to address “connectivity choke points” and the concentration of key resources.
He added that the group needs to focus on strengthening supply chain resilience, improving connectivity, reducing manufacturing and resource concentration, and closing gaps in critical infrastructure.
Strategic Priorities
The meeting between the countries’ top diplomats – Australia’s Penny Wong, India’s Jaishankar, Japan’s Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio – is the third such gathering since September 2024.
Regional Tensions
The Quad meeting comes as the U.S. and Iran discuss a potential deal to end their three-month conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The four countries also share concerns over China’s growing influence, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio—on a visit to India—emphasising the need for a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Rubio said the Quad should move beyond discussions to “concrete actions” on maritime security and critical minerals, with efforts underway toward a leaders’ summit later this year. Japan has also pushed to diversify critical mineral supplies after China restricted exports of materials used in key industries.
Tehran’s closure of a key waterway has disrupted global energy markets and the wider economy, and is expected to be a major topic in Quad talks. Previous meetings have focused on maintaining a “free and open maritime order” in the Indo-Pacific, including better maritime monitoring.
A Japanese official said discussions are also expected to cover the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, as well as tensions in the East and South China Seas, where China’s military presence has raised concerns among regional states.
China has criticised the Quad as a containment-focused grouping, while India also maintains disputes with Beijing but has signalled interest in improving ties. Analysts say the absence of regular leader-level summits has raised questions about the Quad’s momentum.
Critical Minerals Framework
After a meeting, Rubio said the Quad group of countries have agreed to launch an initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security and a critical minerals framework.
“The Quad critical minerals framework … will guide each of us to leverage economic policy tools and coordinate investment to strengthen critical minerals supply chains, including in mining and processing, and in critical minerals recycling,” he said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
