US: Rubio's Quad Meetings Suggest Trump Continuity In Indo-Pacific Strategy

Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday held his first meetings at the State Department, convening a conflab of Indo-Pacific ‘Quad’ foreign ministers. The prioritisation of the Indo-Pacific dialogue alliance indicates continuity with the Biden administration in multilateral partnership with Japan, India, and Australia. 

• Rubio also met bilaterally with his three counterparts and acknowledged the importance of the next Quad Leaders’ Summit, to be hosted by India in September.
• The State Department said in a readout, tracking closely with previous Biden administration statements, that the four ministers reaffirmed their, “shared commitment to strengthening a Free and Open Indo-Pacific where the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty, and territorial integrity are upheld and defended.”
• A Japanese spokesperson told reporters: “This is a very good example that we can continue this kind of minilateral or multilateral cooperation under the second Trump administration,”
• Trump’s National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, also met with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya yesterday, potentially starting discussions on a Trump meeting with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in February -  a priority for Tokyo.
• The State Department noted that in his meeting with Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Rubio, “emphasized the Trump Administration’s desire to work with India to advance economic ties and address concerns related to irregular migration,” signalling that the Trump administration is likely to target immigration reform from New Delhi in return for ratcheting up economic cooperation.