On his first full day in office on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio convened the inaugural Quad ministerial meeting with representatives from Australia, India, and Japan, issuing a pointed yet indirect warning to China against altering the status quo in the Indo-Pacific through coercive measures. This marked the first high-level meeting of the China-focused alliance since Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Rubio hosted Australia’s Penny Wong, India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Japan’s Takeshi Iwaya in Washington. In a joint statement, the four nations reaffirmed their "shared commitment to fostering a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, where the rule of law, democratic principles, sovereignty, and territorial integrity are respected and upheld."

The statement also underscored their firm opposition to "any unilateral actions aimed at altering the status quo through force or coercion," a clear reference to concerns over China’s potential moves to assert its sovereignty claims over Taiwan.

The ministers further agreed to work towards holding a Quad summit in India later this year, signaling a potential early visit by Trump to the U.S.’s growing strategic partner, viewed as a crucial counterbalance to China.

Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar remarked on X that the Quad foreign ministers' meeting taking place so soon after Trump’s inauguration was "significant," highlighting its prominence in the foreign policies of its member nations.

Disclaimer:This image is taken from AFP.