Quad Strengthens Critical Minerals and Maritime Partnerships

The new measures were unveiled following a meeting of the Quad foreign ministers in New Delhi, chaired by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.     In a media statement issued after the deliberations, Jaishankar announced a critical minerals framework and an Indo-Pacific energy security initiative within the broader Quad agenda to address the region’s major challenges.      “Much of the discussions and indeed the bilateral exchanges were devoted to the current state of the world,” Jaishankar stated at the conclusion of the meeting.

The foreign ministers of the four Quad nations convened in the national capital for their third meeting since September 2024, with the economic fallout of the West Asia crisis, Indo-Pacific security, and critical minerals cooperation dominating a packed agenda at a moment of considerable strain for the grouping.

Jaishankar noted that the focus of deliberations centered on issues relevant to the Indo-Pacific region. “Because we are four maritime democracies located at different ends of the Indo-Pacific, the exchange of perspectives was an exercise of considerable value,” he said.      “We spent some time on the question of safe and unimpeded maritime commerce and reaffirmed the significance of scrupulously observing international law,” the minister added.

Jaishankar emphasized that a free and open Indo-Pacific has many dimensions and facets, and the Quad meeting took stock of progress across multiple areas.      “We believe strongly that economic resilience should be promoted and supply chains strengthened,” he noted, adding that the deliberations also touched on current energy and fertilizer availability, as well as critical minerals.      “In the coming days, whether it is economic activity, energy trade or maritime commerce, the Indo-Pacific will become even more important to the world. The responsibilities of the Quad will grow commensurately, and we must prepare for that,” Jaishankar stated.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in his media statement that the Quad meeting decided to launch an Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Cooperation Initiative that will leverage each country’s maritime surveillance capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.

Rubio also announced the expansion of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative among the Quad nations.

“The reason why maritime security is so important, beyond the fact that current events remind us of what can happen when maritime security is impeded, is the fact that 60 percent of global maritime trade passes through the Indo-Pacific,” Rubio said. He argued that it represents a vital national interest not only to the four Quad nations but also to countless countries around the world.

The US Secretary of State revealed that the Quad has decided to roll out a new initiative to boost port infrastructure in the Pacific Islands.

“The second initiative: we’re going to be partnering on issues of port infrastructure, in response to insufficient port capacities in the Pacific Islands,” he said.      “We’re announcing plans to work with Fiji to advance that country’s port infrastructure. It’ll be the first time that the Quad partners work together on a port infrastructure project,” Rubio added.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the Quad recognized efforts towards a diplomatic resolution to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

“We recognized the importance of maintaining the principle of freedom of navigation and our opposition to any tolling proposition,” she said, referring to Iran’s plan to demand fees for transiting the strait.     Wong also stated that the Quad is working together to strengthen cooperation against scam centers, particularly in Southeast Asia. The Australian foreign minister said the Quad will initially coordinate maritime surveillance efforts in the Indian Ocean.      Counter-terrorism also featured prominently in the talks, the external affairs minister confirmed. “There must be zero tolerance for terrorism, and nations subject to terrorist attacks have the right to defend themselves,” he said.

While Quad ministers were meeting in India, China reiterated its stance on the Australia-India-Japan-US grouping on Tuesday, saying that cooperation among 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.

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or the Quad, is a grouping of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States maintained through talks among its members. The dialogue is widely perceived as a diplomatic arrangement responding to increased Chinese economic and political power.      The Quad grouping was initiated in 2007 by the then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with the support of Australian Prime Minister John Howard, India’s then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and US Vice President Dick Cheney.