Australia-India-Japan-US Quad to build a port, unveil pact on critical minerals
From left, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, India’s Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pose following a Quad ministerial meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Photo: Reuters
The foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan and the United States agreed to jointly build a port in Fiji and signed pacts covering critical minerals and energy security, as they sought to inject fresh energy into their grouping known as the Quad.
The brief meeting between the countries' top diplomats — Australia's Penny Wong, India's S Jaishankar, Japan's Toshimitsu Motegi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio — was the third such gathering of the Quad since September 2024.
The group unveiled its first joint infrastructure project, a port in Fiji.
Today Quad Foreign Ministers met in New Delhi.
Here are the top 3 joint declarations that actually move markets, supply chains, and Asia's next decade. 🧵#QUAD #India #China #Usa #Japan #Australia pic.twitter.com/WoTJhKdiNU"We are going to be partnering on issues of port infrastructure, in particular in response to insufficient port capacity in the Pacific Islands, we are announcing plans to work with Fiji," Rubio said.
The four-nation group had lost some momentum last year after failing to hold a leaders' summit, amid tensions between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Washington's tariffs and other matters.
"We are beginning to show real achievements and real accomplishments," Rubio said. "We are deeply committed to this partnership. It is a linchpin and a cornerstone of our global strategy as a nation in the United States."
He said the group agreed to launch an initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security and a critical minerals framework.
Absence of leader's summit creates doubts
The minerals framework will guide how to leverage economic policy tools and coordinate investment to strengthen critical minerals supply chains, including in mining and processing, and in critical minerals recycling, Rubio said.
The initiative could be significant for Japan after China halted shipments of some minerals used in aerospace, defence and semiconductor industries following a diplomatic dispute.
New Delhi has pressed for a Trump visit to India, a trip that would probably be tied to a Quad summit. Analysts have questioned whether a lack of leader-level engagement has downgraded the Quad's importance.
Just completed a productive QUAD FMM with colleagues @SecRubio of the US, @SenatorWong of Australia, and FM @moteging of Japan.
Three major takeaways:
➡️ Agreed on Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Initiative and on a Common Operating Picture in the maritime domain. Will… pic.twitter.com/4b0dFtiAHCThe foreign ministers did not comment on the possibility of a summit this year, but over the weekend, Rubio said that diplomats would work toward a meeting later this year.
"The absence of a leaders' summit has raised some doubts, but that does not necessarily indicate declining importance," said Premesha Saha, a senior policy fellow at the Asia Society Australia in Melbourne.
"If the Quad can keep delivering at the ministerial and working levels, it can remain relevant even without regular leaders-level signalling."
The Quad countries share concerns about China's growing power and Rubio has stressed the importance of maintaining a "free and open Indo-Pacific".
QUAD shouldn't target third party, China says
A joint statement from the four countries said they remained "seriously concerned about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea" as well as the "militarisation of disputed features" in the South China Sea.
They also condemned attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Middle East and said they were opposed to the imposition of tolls, stressing safety and the uninterrupted flow of global commerce through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea and has built military facilities on disputed features. Several Southeast Asian countries also claim parts of the sea. China and Japan have a separate dispute over territory in the East China Sea.
Beijing has criticised the Quad as a Cold War-style grouping aimed at containing its development.
BREAKING: China lashes out at Quad FM meeting in Delhi
“Cooperation should not target any third party. We oppose exclusive groupings & bloc confrontation.”
Beijing’s sharp warning as US, India, Japan & Australia deepen Indo-Pacific security ties.#Quad #China #IndoPacific pic.twitter.com/hNYytPgpsSOn Tuesday, it said cooperation between countries should contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity, and should not target any third party.
"We also do not support the formation of exclusive cliques or bloc confrontation. No cooperation should undermine mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries," China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, told a daily press conference.
India, too, has territorial disputes with China, although Modi had signalled a willingness to improve ties with Beijing amid his tensions with Trump.