US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will welcome counterparts from the “Quad” to Washington on Tuesday, in an at least brief refocus on Asia, the State Department said.
Rubio first welcomed foreign ministers from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – an informal strategic forum comprising the United States, India, Australia and Japan aimed at upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific – on January 21, his first meeting after US President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The summit had been seen as a sign that the new administration would prioritise engagement with like-minded countries to counter China.
Since then, much of Rubio’s attention has been on the Middle East, with the United States bombing Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israel, and on Ukraine, as Trump unsuccessfully seeks a ceasefire in Russia’s invasion.
“The secretary’s first diplomatic engagement was with the Quad, and next week’s summit builds on that momentum to advance a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said, using the US phrasing against Chinese domination of Asia.
“This is what American leadership looks like – strength, peace and prosperity,” Pigott told reporters.
