Washington DC: The United States is looking to breathe fresh life into the Quad partnership with India, Japan and Australia, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirming that the grouping’s first leaders’ summit in more than two years is expected to take place next month during Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related meetings in Manila, according to US media reports.
Rubio told an Indian News network that an agreement had been reached to hold the summit during the meetings scheduled in Manila from November 15 to 17, although a specific date had not yet been finalised.
“We don’t have the specific date yet, but that’s going to happen, and we’re very enthusiastic about it,” Rubio said.
According to US media, Rubio has been a strong supporter of the Quad, which brings together India, the United States, Japan and Australia. The grouping was conceived by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007 to bring together four like-minded democracies.
The proposed summit would be the first Quad leaders’ meeting since September 2024, when Joe Biden was US President. Rubio met his counterparts from the three partner countries a day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump’s administration and has since participated in two further meetings of Quad foreign ministers, the latest in July.
However, Trump has yet to participate in a Quad leaders’ meeting during his current presidency, raising concerns among officials in Tokyo, Canberra and New Delhi about the grouping’s direction under his administration.
As per the Japanese media, Trump has appeared more focused on high-profile bilateral engagements, including meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing and Washington this year.
Trump also said this week that he was open to holding a trilateral summit with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin focused on “denuclearisation”, potentially on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit scheduled in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19.
The proposed summit could help address concerns that the grouping has lost momentum under Trump’s administration. However, Japanese media say the long-term effectiveness of the partnership would depend on whether its members could translate diplomatic engagement into concrete outcomes.
Rubio has argued that the grouping is increasingly moving beyond ministerial discussions towards practical cooperation in areas such as critical minerals, emerging technologies, maritime security and energy security.
"The Quad is not just a process by which we meet and agree to do certain things," Rubio said on Tuesday. "You are now starting to see action; you are now starting to see things happen. And that’s what we’re excited about for the leaders’ meeting, is that at that meeting they will be able to actually announce concrete actions, not just simply a nice social gathering, but something that has concrete deliverables."
Nevertheless, as per the Japanese media, questions remain over whether the four countries can maintain the degree of strategic alignment achieved during the Biden administration, particularly following Trump’s tariff disputes with India, Japan and Australia and his efforts to strengthen ties with Beijing.
Meanwhile, Japan, Australia and India have been working to deepen their bilateral partnerships, according to the news report, as they seek to reinforce cooperation amid uncertainty over the Quad’s direction.
The proposed summit comes as Rubio concluded his visit to India on October 21, following engagements in Mumbai. His visit took place amid efforts by New Delhi and Washington to strengthen their strategic partnership, advance negotiations on a proposed bilateral trade agreement and expand energy cooperation.
In Mumbai, Rubio held talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the India-US strategic partnership and progress in negotiations on the proposed trade deal. He also paid floral tributes to the victims of the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which claimed the lives of six American nationals.
Energy cooperation has emerged as an important component of the broader bilateral relationship, with discussions encompassing energy trade, India’s imports of Russian petroleum and opportunities to expand purchases of American energy resources.
The visit also drew attention to potential investment by Reliance Industries in a new petroleum processing facility in the United States. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor had highlighted the prospective project in the context of efforts to increase domestic energy production and generate employment.
Rubio’s India visit and the proposed Quad leaders’ summit underline Washington’s engagement with New Delhi on strategic and economic issues.