By David Brunnstrom, Simon Louis (Joe:) and Alasdair Ball
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States, Australia, India and Japan renewed their commitment to working together on Tuesday, after the first meeting of top diplomats from the China-focused “Quad” group since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
In a joint statement after the talks in Washington, hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his first day in office, the four countries said officials would meet regularly to prepare for the next leaders' summit in India, expected this year.
The four countries share concerns about China's growing power, and analysts said the meeting was intended to signal that confronting Beijing is a top priority for Trump, who began his second term in office on Monday.
Rubio said earlier that he would stress the importance of working with allies “on matters that matter to America and Americans” during the meeting.
He stood with Australian Penny Wong, Indian Subramaniam Jaishankar, and Japanese Takeshi Iwaya in front of their countries' flags before the meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but he did not respond to journalists' questions.
“It is important that the Quad (foreign ministers' meeting) be held within hours of the inauguration of the Trump administration,” Jaishankar said on Channel X after the meeting.
“This confirms the priority it enjoys in the foreign policy of its member states.”
The four countries renewed their “shared commitment to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region where the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity are upheld and defended,” the joint statement said.
“We also strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion,” she added, an apparent reference to the threat that China will act on its sovereignty claim over democratically governed Taiwan.
The Japanese government said in a later statement that this includes the East China Sea, where Japan is locked in a territorial dispute with China, and the disputed South China Sea.
She added that Iwaya also raised concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development during the meeting and asked for help in resolving the dispute with Pyongyang over North Korea's past kidnapping of Japanese.
In a separate bilateral meeting, Iwaya told Rubio and Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, that Japan has no choice but to continue strengthening its defense capabilities in light of the security situation in East Asia, Japanese Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Toshihiro Kitamura said at a news conference.
Japan is undertaking its largest military buildup since World War II with a plan to double defense spending by 2027. Trump's return has raised expectations that Washington may put more pressure on allies to increase defense spending.
He added that Iwaya also asked Rubio to create an environment in which Japanese companies can invest without concerns.
Former US President Joe Biden this month blocked Nippon Steel's proposed $14.9 billion purchase of US Steel, citing national security concerns, alarming Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other officials who said it was unfortunate and raised concerns about future investment in the United States.
Kitamura said Japan hopes to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Ishiba sometime in February or March.
Rubio also met separately with Wong and Jaishankar.
A person involved in planning the meetings said Trump officials are working to schedule another meeting of secretaries of state at the White House as well.
The Quad met several times during former President Joe Biden's administration, focusing on Beijing's military and economic activities in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in the South China Sea where US allies have pushed back against Beijing's territorial claims.
The group also pledged to strengthen cooperation in cybersecurity to protect supply chains and critical infrastructure, including submarine cables.
Australia's main goal was to obtain assurances from Washington on the massive AUKUS defense project, designed to allow Australia to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines and other advanced weapons such as hypersonic missiles, which Trump has not commented on publicly.
Australian Foreign Minister Wong told a news conference in Washington that she had a “very positive discussion” with Rubio about AUKUS.
China has denounced the Quad as a product of the Cold War, and says the AUKUS alliance will intensify the regional arms race.
Wong, who met her Indian and Japanese counterparts in Washington over the weekend, said she also discussed with Rubio critical minerals — an industry in which the United States and China are fighting for control of the supply chain.
“There is a great deal of optimism and confidence about the opportunities ahead, and I am truly honored to have this level of involvement so early in the new administration,” she said.
