New Delhi — The Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in New Delhi last month showed that the grouping remains active and relevant as the strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific becomes increasingly militarized, according to an article.
The meeting was attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of India, Japan and Australia. The article, published in Eurasia Review, said the Quad is moving into a more practical phase and has strengthened its role as a deterrent and fallback mechanism in the region.
According to the article, the meeting also helped dispel doubts that the grouping had weakened because of U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to stabilize trade ties with China and possible ambiguity over Taiwan.
The joint statement issued after the meeting reaffirmed cooperation on maritime domain awareness, critical minerals, energy security, infrastructure, counterterrorism and regional resilience. It also expressed concern over coercive actions in the South China Sea and East China Sea and opposed unilateral attempts to change the status quo.
One of the key outcomes was a decision to mobilize about $20 billion in public and private investment for critical minerals supply chains, including mining and processing. The article said the move is aimed at countering China’s dominance in rare earths and critical mineral processing.
“The Quad understands that securing the Indo-Pacific is not only about naval and military assets with aircraft carriers and missiles, but also increasingly about human capital for the control of logistics, who finances infrastructure, who sees maritime movement first, who processes the minerals needed for defence and technology, and who can keep sea lanes open during a crisis,” the article said. (Source: IANS)
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