On January 21, following the inauguration of President-elect Trump (Donald Trump), the newly appointed US Secretary of State is expected to meet with the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan in Washington DC. The meeting, known as the “Quad Ministerial Meeting,” is seen as the first significant diplomatic event for President Trump and is intended to send a strong signal of continuity for the Quad mechanism.
President Trump will be sworn in on January 20, and it is anticipated that Foreign Minister Penny Wong of Australia, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya of Japan, and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar of India will attend his inauguration.
Senator Marco Rubio, the nominee for US Secretary of State, is expected to be confirmed on Trump’s inauguration day, paving the way for the “Quad Ministerial Meeting” the following day, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Analysts suggest that at the beginning of the Trump administration, holding such a meeting is unlikely to result in new initiatives. However, it will send a strong signal indicating that democratic countries in the Indo-Pacific region can come together to pursue attractive cooperation alternatives over China.
Charles Edel, an Indo-Pacific expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, stated that the goal of the meeting is to foster mutual understanding, review the Quad mechanism, signal continuity, and begin outlining their ideas for the direction they aim to take the dialogue.
The Trump administration’s transition team did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.
It is expected that the foreign ministers of Australia and Japan will hold bilateral meetings with Rubio.
Penny Wong may seek assurances that the trilateral security partnership known as AUKUS, initiated by Australia, the US, and the UK, will continue as planned.
On January 17, Takeshi Iwaya stated that he would emphasize the economic and national security value that Japan provides to the US.
Iwaya’s visit will also pave the way for a leadership meeting between Japan and the US. He expressed hope for meaningful outcomes in discussions with the new US government.
Indian officials stated that India hopes to discuss how the Quad group can enhance cooperation in technology and green energy, emphasizing that the Quadrilateral alliance is not anti-China and refuting China’s claims of neo-Nazism.
During a confirmation hearing in the Senate on January 15, Rubio strongly asserted the need to confront Beijing and emphasized the necessity for the US to shift direction to avoid further reliance on China.
John Lee, a former Australian government official now working at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC, remarked that the visiting ministers aim to dispel concerns about Trump’s second term potentially becoming more isolationist.
Lee stated, “It’s essential for other member countries to ensure that during President Trump’s second term, the Quad Ministerial Meeting continues to be seen as a key opportunity to advance freedom and openness in the Indo-Pacific region.”