Quad not ‘anti-China’, says Rubio as first summit in two years set before Trump-Xi talks

The Quad is an informal partnership linking the United States, India, Japan and Australia. It is not a formal military alliance. Its members coordinate on regional concerns and describe their goal as supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific. The grouping matters because its combined diplomatic, economic and security efforts can influence how countries respond to regional challenges.

Recent Quad work includes maritime security, disaster response and economic security. At a May meeting, the countries launched the US$20 billion Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework. Their ministers also backed reliable, open supply chains and trusted, resilient infrastructure. These projects give the partnership practical areas for cooperation beyond statements.

China is widely seen as the main country affected by the Quad’s activities, although Marco Rubio said it is not anti-China. The members’ next leaders’ summit is scheduled for Manila in November. Australia holds the rotating chair this year, while the Philippines hosts the meeting.

The Quad’s top diplomats have finalised preparations for a leaders’ summit in the Philippines next month. It will be the group’s first leader-level meeting in more than two years. The summit is significant because it moves the main gathering outside the countries that usually host Quad leaders. The Philippines is chairing Asean this year and will host several regional meetings.

The previous Quad leaders’ summit took place in September 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware, the hometown of former US president Joe Biden. India was expected to host the next summit last year, but repeated delays followed worsening ties between New Delhi and Washington. Those tensions involved US tariffs, oil sanctions and visa restrictions.

Foreign ministers continued meeting despite the delay. They met in May and July, and Australia holds the rotating chair this year. The leaders are expected to discuss practical steps on maritime security, disaster response, supply chains and critical minerals when they meet in Manila.

The Quad emphasizes maritime security, disaster response, supply chains and critical minerals because these areas connect everyday resilience with regional security. Safe seas support trade and emergency relief. Reliable supply chains reduce exposure to disruption. Critical minerals are important inputs for industries, so access to them can affect economic strength and strategic independence.

The group’s approach combines cooperation with concern about coercive economic behavior. Its ministers cited arbitrary export restrictions and non-market policies that create overcapacity and disrupt global supply chains in critical industries. At their May meeting, they launched the US$20 billion Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework. That is a concrete mechanism for improving economic security.

The Quad is presenting these efforts as open, practical cooperation rather than a coalition against one country. Rubio highlighted momentum on maritime security and disaster response. The ministers also promised reliable, open supply chains and trusted, resilient infrastructure. These priorities are likely to remain central at the Manila summit.

The summit is in the Philippines because the country holds the Association of Southeast Asian Nations chair this year. It will host the Asean leaders’ summit and other multilateral meetings from November 16 to 18. This gives Manila a regional convening role and makes it a practical location for the Quad’s first leaders’ meeting outside member countries.

Timing also matters. After the Quad summit, Donald Trump is expected to travel to Shenzhen for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings and meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Edgard Kagan said it helps the United States to coordinate and consult key allies and partners before engagements with China. The Quad meeting creates a setting for that coordination.

Kagan viewed the timing as significant but said it was less about deliberately signalling China. He described it as a return to practices that strengthen Washington’s hand before talks with Beijing. The sequence therefore combines regional diplomacy, alliance coordination and preparation for a major bilateral meeting.

Coordination with India, Japan and Australia could strengthen the United States’ position before talks with China. Shared planning can help Washington understand allies’ concerns, present more consistent priorities and demonstrate that regional partners are engaged. Edgard Kagan said this was the main significance of holding the Quad meeting before Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping.

The mechanism is consultation, not necessarily a joint ultimatum. Quad ministers can compare views on economic coercion, export restrictions, overcapacity, maritime security and supply chains. They can also develop common initiatives, such as the US$20 billion Critical Minerals Initiative Framework. These steps give the United States practical partnerships to reference in wider diplomacy.

Kagan cautioned that the timing was less about deliberately signalling China than strengthening Washington’s hand. The outcome may depend on what leaders announce in Manila and how closely members align. The Quad’s stated language will likely remain focused on behavior and activities, rather than naming China as an opponent.

China’s concern is that a group built by four influential countries can become an exclusive bloc, regardless of how members describe it. The Quad is widely viewed as a mechanism to counter China’s growing influence in the Asia-Pacific. That perception makes Beijing wary of its meetings, initiatives and security coordination.

The key issue is how cooperation is understood. Rubio said the Quad responds to behaviors and activities, not to a country. Yet the ministers’ statement raised concerns about economic coercion, export restrictions and non-market policies that result in overcapacity. Those topics closely relate to disputes involving China, even though the statement did not name it.

The Chinese embassy in Washington said countries should not form exclusive groupings or engage in bloc confrontation. Spokesperson Liu Chang said cooperation should support regional peace, stability and prosperity, not target a third party. This disagreement is likely to continue as the Quad expands practical cooperation while avoiding an explicitly anti-China label.

The Indo-Pacific is a broad regional concept covering the connected strategic space of the Indian and Pacific oceans. It includes the countries, sea routes and economies around those waters. The term matters because the Quad describes its central aim as strengthening a free and open Indo-Pacific, making the region the setting for its cooperation.

Security and trade are closely linked there. Maritime routes carry commerce, while disasters can disrupt communities and infrastructure. Supply chains also cross the region, and critical minerals support important industries. The Quad therefore combines maritime security and disaster response with economic initiatives, including its US$20 billion Critical Minerals Initiative Framework.

The region has also become a focus of influence competition. The article says the Quad is widely viewed as a mechanism to counter China’s growing influence in the Asia-Pacific. Its members deny that it is anti-China, while Beijing warns against bloc confrontation. The Manila summit will test how this balance develops.