In New Delhi, this month the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, Japan and the United States met again to discuss economic and security concerns. Called the Quad, this grouping of major free market democracies in the Indo-Pacific region has now been working together for over two decades. This latest meeting recognized recent changes and challenges to international trade and the need for democracies to align and counter countries the impact of authoritarian regimes across the Middle East, Asia and Europe
Economic Security and Supply Chains
- The Quad highlighted concerns about economic coercion, export restrictions, price manipulation, and supply chain disruptions.
- The ministers launched the Quad Critical Minerals Framework to strengthen supply chains in mining, processing, and recycling of critical minerals.
- They also announced the Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security to promote resilient energy markets and diversified supply chains.
- The Quad committed to supporting port infrastructure development and continued work on secure undersea cable networks across the Pacific.
Critical and Emerging Technologies
- The Quad reaffirmed cooperation on AI, semiconductors, 5G, 6G, digital identity standards, trusted networks, and advanced manufacturing.
- The statement welcomed Pax Silica, describing it as a pillar of the Quad’s economic security agenda focused on trusted technology and supply chains. India became a member of this grouping in February 2026.
- The ministers also reaffirmed the importance of biomanufacturing and resilient pharmaceutical supply chains. India is a key player in the global pharmaceutical manufacturing, and product development process.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a joint statement at the end of the meeting. The above is my summary of the business implications of the discussion
I have previously moderated interactive discussions with Quad representatives via the local World Affairs Councils of Los Angeles and of Orange County. See links to You Tube videos below
Snippets
The entire video of the 2023 Quad discussion is here
