US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began his tenure on Tuesday with a meeting with his counterparts from Australia, India, and Japan in Washington, a day after President Donald Trump’s second term began. The meeting of the so-called “Quad” – four countries that share concerns about the growing power of China – took place at the State Department and was meant to signal that the fight against Beijing will be a top priority for the new president.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who met with her Indian and Japanese counterparts over the weekend, said the invitation of the Quad foreign ministers to attend Trump’s inauguration showed the engagement for close cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. “It’s a demonstration of the collective engagement of all countries for the Quad, a firm commitment in this time when close cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region is so important” Wong said on Sunday about the invitation to Washington.
Apart from the meeting itself, the Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who was confirmed as Trump’s chief diplomat on Monday, is expected to have a separate meeting with the three foreign ministers on Wednesday.
The Quad group met several times during the term of former President Joe Biden and focused on China’s military and economic activities in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the South China Sea, where the US allies are reportedly resisting Beijing’s territorial claims.
The group has also committed to promoting cooperation in the area of cyber security to protect supply chains and critical infrastructure, including undersea cables.
For Australia, it will be crucial to receive a guarantee from Washington regarding the massive defense project AUKUS, which will enable Australia to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines and other advanced weapons like hypersonic missiles.
China has denounced the Quad as a construct of the Cold War and stated that the AUKUS alliance would strengthen regional arms racing.