00:00U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted his Australian, Indian and Japanese counterparts on Tuesday,
00:06seeking to boost efforts to counter China, even as trade and other bilateral disagreements
00:12introduced friction into the relationships. Rubio also held separate meetings with Takeshi Iwaya of
00:18Japan, Subraha Manim, Jai Shankar of India and Penny Wong of Australia.
00:24The four countries, known as the Quad, share concerns about China's growing power,
00:29but ties have been strained by U.S. President Donald Trump's global tariff offensive,
00:34from which none of the members have been spared. Indian Foreign Minister Subraha Manim,
00:39Jai Shankar, nevertheless said the meeting had been very productive. The meeting offers a chance to
00:45refocus attention on the region seen as the primary challenge for the U.S. after Trump was distracted
00:51by issues elsewhere, including the recent Israel-Iran conflict. In January, the Quad said it would meet
00:57regularly to prepare for a leaders' summit in India later this year.
Comments