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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has met with the foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan for an important meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.
The four nations have announced commitments to strengthening economic opportunity and peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region as well as strengthening regional maritime, economic and technology security, in the face of increasing threats, and promoting reliable and resilient supply chains.
Rubio met with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on his first day in office, discussing the advancing security collaboration through AUKUS and other bilateral defence initiatives, as well as strengthening partnership on critical minerals and global supply chain resilience.
“We, the Secretary of State of the United States and the foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan, met today in Washington DC to reaffirm our shared commitment to strengthening a free and open Indo-Pacific where the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity are upheld and defended,” according to a joint statement published by the Quad Foreign Ministers on 21 January.
“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.
“We also strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.
“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.”
