NEW DELHI (AP) — The foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan and the United States announced new initiatives Tuesday on maritime security, port infrastructure and energy, as the group known as the Quad seeks to deepen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific over concerns about China’s growing influence in the region.The announcements came after talks in New Delhi between India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Speaking after the meeting, Rubio announced a new Indo-Pacific maritime surveillance initiative to integrate the four countries’ surveillance capabilities and strengthen real-time information sharing across the region. Rubio also said the Quad would work with Fiji to upgrade port infrastructure in the Pacific islands, marking its first joint regional infrastructure project.
The ministers also launched an Indo-Pacific energy security initiative aimed at strengthening regional fuel and energy supply chains, with the U.S. set to host a Quad fuel security forum later this year, Rubio said.
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“We are deeply committed to this partnership. It is a linchpin in a cornerstone of our global strategy as a nation,” he said. Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. make up the Quad group, a key strategic partnership for cooperation on maritime security, supply chains and regional strategy as China expands its military and economic influence in the Indo-Pacific.
