Donald Trump Agrees To India Hosting Quad Summit 

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said it is ‘significant’ that Quad Foreign Ministers met within hours of Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.

By : Nayanima Basu | Updated at : 22 Jan 2025 01:02 PM (IST)

(R-L) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Australia's Penny Wong, US' Marco Rubio and Japan's Takeshi Iwaya at the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Washington on Tuesday.
Source : MEA

Quad Meeting: The Donald Trump administration hit the ground running as the new US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, hosted the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) hours after the oath ceremony. The meeting saw the ministers agree to New Delhi’s plan to host the Summit-level meeting of the grouping in India.

The Quad FMM took place in Washington DC, which was one of the main reasons why External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited the US. Jaishankar, along with Japan Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Australia Foreign Minister Penny Wong – also members of Quad – attended Trump’s inauguration ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda on Monday.

“Significant that the Quad FMM took place within hours of the inauguration of the Trump Administration. This underlines the priority it has in the foreign policy of its member states. Our wide-ranging discussions addressed different dimensions of ensuring a free, open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” said Jaishankar after the meeting.

He also said that the Quad has “agreed on the importance of thinking bigger, deepening the agenda and intensifying our collaboration”, and that the meeting of the foreign ministers of the grouping “sends a clear message that in an uncertain and volatile world, the Quad will continue to be a force for global good”.

Meanwhile, in a five-line joint statement, the foreign ministers announced that they have agreed to India’s hosting of the Quad Leaders’ meeting in the country. This means US President Trump, Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Japanese PM Ishiba Shigeru will all be visiting India to attend the meeting while PM Narendra Modi will be the host.

“We are committed to strengthening regional maritime, economic, and technology security in the face of increasing threats, as well as promoting reliable and resilient supply chains. We look forward to advancing the work of the Quad in the coming months, and will meet together on a regular basis as we prepare for the next Quad Leaders’ Summit hosted by India,” said the joint statement.

ABP Live had reported earlier that EAM Jaishankar’s recent visit to the US was aimed at paving the way for an early visit by Trump to India when Delhi plans to hold the summit.

ALSO READ | India Hopeful Of A Donald Trump Visit ‘Soon’ For Quad Summit

Signal To China

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “On day one as Secretary of State, I hosted the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan for an important meeting of the Quad. We are committed to strengthening economic opportunity and peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.” 

This was a clear signal to the fact that the new US government is keen to take forward the Indo-Pacific strategic construct, thereby prioritising the Quad.

In a clear signal to China but without naming it, the Quad Foreign Ministers said in the joint statement, “We also strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.”

Reasserting their common objective to a free and open Indo-Pacific, they said they will seek to maintain a region “where the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty, and territorial integrity are upheld and defended”. “Our four nations maintain our conviction that international law, economic opportunity, peace, stability, and security in all domains including the maritime domain underpin the development and prosperity of the peoples of the Indo-Pacific,” they added.

Australian FM Wong said that holding of the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting so early in the Trump administration’s term “demonstrates our shared determination to work together for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region”. 

Each of the Quad countries — US, Australia, Japan and India — has been facing issues with China, with Beijing’s increasingly belligerent stance in matters related to territorial sovereignty on land as well as on the seas.

According to the statement issued by Japan, the four ministers discussed and expressed their “strong opposition” on altering the status quo in the East and South China Seas as well as the situation concerning North Korea.

ALSO READ | US, India Collaborate On Anti-Submarine Warfare Sonobuoys As Threats From China Increase 

Rubio Talks ‘Irregular Immigration’ With Jaishankar

On the margins of the Quad meeting, Jaishankar and Rubio also held their first one-on-one talks, where the US Secretary of State raised the matter of irregular immigration.

According to US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, both Jaishankar and Rubio “affirmed a shared commitment to continuing to strengthen the partnership between the United States and India”.

“They discussed a wide range of topics, including regional issues and opportunities to further deepen the US-India relationship, in particular on critical and emerging technologies, defence cooperation, energy, and on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Secretary Rubio also emphasised the Trump administration’s desire to work with India to advance economic ties and address concerns related to irregular migration,” she added.

Jaishankar also met Trump’s National Security Adviser Michael Waltz Tuesday. This was their second meeting.

“Discussed strengthening our friendship to ensure mutual benefit and enhance global stability and prosperity. Looking forward to working together on an active and outcome oriented agenda,” said the EAM. 

Published at : 22 Jan 2025 12:03 PM (IST)
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S Jaishankar Donald Trump Indo Pacific China India At 2047 Diplomacy QUAD India At 2047 Marco Rubio

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