Quad foreign ministers meet in Washington in signal of Trump's China focus

By David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis and Alasdair Pal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States, Australia, India and Japan recommitted to working together on Tuesday, after the first meeting of the China-focused "Quad" grouping's top diplomats since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

In a joint statement after the talks in Washington, hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his first day in the job, the four nations said officials would meet regularly to prepare for an upcoming leaders' summit in India, expected this year.

The four countries share concerns about China's growing power and analysts said the meeting was designed to signal that countering Beijing is a top priority for Trump, who began his second term in office on Monday.

Rubio earlier said he said would stress the importance of working with allies "on the things that are important to America and Americans" during the meeting.

He posed with Australia's Penny Wong, India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Japan's Takeshi Iwaya in front of the flags of their countries before the meeting at the State Department, but did not respond to questions from reporters.

"Significant that the Quad (foreign ministers' meeting) took place within hours of the inauguration of the Trump Administration," Jaishankar said on X after the meeting.

"This underlines the priority it has in the foreign policy of its member states."

The four nations restated 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," the joint statement said.

"We also strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion," it said, an apparent reference to the threat that China will act on its claim to sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan.

That includes in the East China Sea, where Japan is locked in a territorial dispute with China, and in the contested South China Sea, Japan's government said in a later statement.

Iwaya also raised concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development at the gathering and asked for help to resolve a dispute with Pyongyang over the past abductions of Japanese by North Korea, it said.

In separate bilateral meeting Iwaya told Rubio and Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, that Japan had no choice but to continue strengthening its defence capabilities given the security situation in East Asia, Japanese Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Toshihiro Kitamura told a news conference.

Japan is undertaking its biggest military buildup since World War Two with a plan to doubled defence spending by 2027. The return of Trump has prompted expectations Washington may put more pressure on allies to further step up defence spending.

Iwaya also asked Rubio to create an environment where Japanese businesses can invest without concerns, he added.

Former U.S. President Joe Biden this month blocked Nippon Steel's proposed $14.9 billion purchase of U.S. Steel, citing national security concerns, prompting concern from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other officials who said it was regrettable and raised concerns about future investment in the U.S.

Japan hopes to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Ishiba some time in February or March, Kitamura said.

Rubio also met separately with Wong and Jaishankar.

A key aim for Australia was to secure assurances from Washington about the massive AUKUS defense project, designed to allow Australia to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines and other advanced weapons such as hypersonic missiles, which Trump has not commented on publicly.

Australia's Foreign Minister Wong told a news conference in Washington she had a "very positive discussion" with Rubio on AUKUS.

Wong and Rubio discussed efforts to continue bilateral defence cooperation, AUKUS, as well as critical minerals and global supply chain security, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement after the meeting.

"The Secretary and the Foreign Minister hailed the longstanding U.S.-Australia Alliance as foundational to international security and prosperity, and to a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region free from coercion," she said.

Wong added that there was "a great deal of optimism and confidence about the opportunities ahead".

China has denounced the Quad as a Cold War construct and says the AUKUS alliance would intensify a regional arms race.

Trump officials were working on scheduling another gathering of the foreign ministers at the White House as well, a person involved in planning meetings said.

The Quad grouping met many times during the administration of former President Joe Biden, with a focus on Beijing's military and economic activities in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the South China Sea where U.S. allies have pushed back against Beijing's territorial claims.

The grouping has also pledged to advance cooperation in cybersecurity to protect supply chains and critical infrastructure, including undersea cables.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Alastair Pal, Trevor Hunnicutt, Humeyra Pamuk, Daphne Psaledakis, Kirsty Needham and Tim Kelly; Editing by Michael Perry and Stephen Coates)