Top diplomats from Australia, India, Japan, and the United States are meeting today in New Delhi to renew their partnership, known as the Quad. The group has slowed down recently due to trade arguments between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These disputes cancelled a planned leader summit last year. Now, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the other foreign ministers want the Quad to move beyond talk and take concrete action on maritime security and securing vital minerals.
The glue that binds the members of the Quad alliance lies in their concern over China’s increasing military and economic strength. Japan is keen to explore alternative suppliers of vital minerals after China stopped exporting minerals required for defence and microchips to Tokyo. At the same time, the diplomats must deal with global trade chaos caused by the US-Iran conflict. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, severely hurting energy markets worldwide. The Quad ministers plan to counter these threats by sharing better radar data to keep essential ocean trade routes open and safe.
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China strongly dislikes the Quad, calling it an old Cold War group meant to block its growth. While India has its own border disputes with China, Prime Minister Modi has kept ties with Beijing open while dealing with Trump’s trade tariffs. Now, India is pushing for a formal visit from President Trump. This highly anticipated visit would likely coincide with a major Quad leaders’ summit later this year.
