The economic fallout of the West Asia crisis, the prevailing security situation in the Indo-Pacific and ways to boost cooperation in critical minerals and technology are expected to top the agenda at a crucial meeting of the Quad foreign ministers on Tuesday.
China on Wednesday reacted strongly to the Quad Ministerial meeting that voiced serious concerns over the situation in the East and South China Sea, saying they should stop meddling in maritime affairs in its neighbourhood.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India from May 23-26 to enhance cooperation in trade, defence, and energy, attending meetings with senior Indian officials and participating in a Quad group meeting in New Delhi.
The Quad grouping has expanded cooperation in critical minerals and energy, while unveiling new measures to boost maritime surveillance and port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific. This move comes against the backdrop of China's growing military posturing in the region, with ministers reiterating strong opposition to destabilising actions and expressing serious concerns over militarisation of disputed features.
In response to the Quad ministers' joint statement, China on Tuesday said it opposes the creation of exclusive 'small cliques' and 'bloc confrontation'.
Ambassadors of the Quad nations, consisting of the United States, India, Australia and Japan, held a rare publicised meeting in Beijing.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the US is ready to sell as much energy as India is willing to buy. He described India as a 'great partner' ahead of his visit to New Delhi.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata for a four-day diplomatic tour to India, marking the first visit by a US secretary of state to the city in 14 years. His itinerary includes meetings with Indian officials, energy talks, and a Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting.
'The flip side of this is that he won't hesitate to call out India if he thinks its policies are hurting US economic interests or border US foreign policy goals.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed various aspects of India-US bilateral ties, focusing on defence, trade, energy, and technology. Rubio extended an invitation from President Donald Trump for PM Modi to visit the US.
Saturday's Quad meeting in Delaware is taking place against the backdrop of China's assertive behaviour in the South China Sea, its sabre-rattling in the Taiwan Strait and increasing footprints in the Pacific and Indian Ocean, asserts Rup Narayan Das.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that significant progress has been made in negotiations with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping lane. However, President Donald Trump remains cautious, vowing not to accept a 'bad deal' regarding Iran's nuclear programme and regional stability.
Motorola Edge 70 Pro+ handset combines a striking quad-curved AMOLED display, a trio of 50 MP cameras, a 6,500 mAh battery, all wrapped in a stylish design aimed at power users and photography enthusiasts alike.
The planned India-Japan annual summit, featuring Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi and Indian PM Narendra Modi, has been moved from Guwahati to New Delhi due to logistical issues and Takaichi's tight schedule. The summit, scheduled for July 1-3, aims to boost bilateral ties with discussions on investment, supply chain deals, energy resilience, and strategic oil reserves, accompanied by a delegation of 50 Japanese companies.
Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Book 6 Edge, marking the debut of Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X2 Elite platform in a laptop.
The Japanese PM's visit to Assam comes amid festering uneasiness in Tokyo about Beijing's assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India for four days to strengthen bilateral relations, holding talks with Indian leaders and attending the Quad foreign ministers' meeting.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar amid American demand that countries mediating the peace talks with Iran join the Abraham Accords and establish diplomatic and economic ties with Israel.
A readout by the US said the agreement marked a milestone in the strategic partnership between the two nations to ensure that the foundational elements required for advanced technology and energy are available within trusted networks.
Soon after he was sworn in by Vice President J D Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Penny Wong from Australia and Japan's Iwaya Takeshi for his first multilateral meeting as the top American diplomat.
The US-China rapprochement, however tenuous, is not without implications for India. Both China and Pakistan have become closer to the US, notes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
US President Donald Trump's call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi signals a concerted effort to reset strained Washington-New Delhi ties, with a focus on 'big-ticket' energy and trade deals, including increased Indian imports of US LNG and LPG, and potential cooperation on small modular reactors.
Modi emphasised the need to return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy in dealing with the Ukraine crisis.
Frankly, was it really necessary in the middle of a fratricidal war for External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to travel to Abu Dhabi for a one-on-one with the sheikh on April 12?Or, for National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to follow up on April 26? Or, for PM Narendra Modi to follow through today? There are no easy answers, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Delhi must now purge the delusional hopes of being a 'counterweight' to China in the US calculus, argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the forthcoming Quad summit will provide an opportunity for the Quad leaders to exchange views about developments in the Indo-Pacific and contemporary global issues of mutual interest.
'Trump's aggressive stance towards China and preference for military posturing could shift the Quad's balance towards overt militarisation.'
David Perdue said in a post on X that the US-India relationship delivers real results through close cooperation in diverse areas, including defence, energy and through Quad engagement.
India and the US have entered a new phase in their relationship, marked by greater parity, point out Harsh V Pant and Vivek Mishra.
The Quad grouping has called for bringing the perpetrators, organisers and financiers of the Pahalgam terror attack to justice without any delay and urged UN member nations to extend cooperation for it.
Dr Jaishankar is expected to discuss the dates for the fifth Quad leaders' summit in India later this year.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China believes that state-to-state interactions should be in line with the trend of the time which is peace and development rather than exclusivity.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed the West Asia conflict's impact on the global economy, particularly energy security, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He also engaged with GCC ambassadors and his Sri Lankan and German counterparts on the same issue.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday said that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi would still travel next week to Australia despite the cancellation of the Quad leaders' meeting in Sydney and he is looking forward to welcoming him.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga are expected to deliberate extensively to give a new momentum to the functioning of the Quad at the summit, diplomatic sources said.
Increasing cooperation in critical minerals will top Prime Minister Modi's agenda during his discussions with leaders of Ghana, Argentinia, Brazil and Namibia.
China criticised the forthcoming meeting of the Foreign Ministers of India, Australia, Japan and the United States in Tokyo, saying it is opposed to the formation of "exclusive clique" harming third party's interests.
In a move sending a strong signal to China, foreign ministers from Quad countries -- India, Australia, Japan and the United States -- in a joint statement on Tuesday strongly opposed any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.
The Quad also vowed to work towards a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific, a region that has seen increasing Chinese military muscle-flexing in the last few years.
This will be the first face-to-face meeting between Rubio and Jaishankar following President Donald Trump's imposition of an additional 25 per cent tariff on India for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil, taking the total levies imposed on India by the Trump White House to 50 per cent.
