【By Guan察者网, Ruan Jiaqi】

On July 1 local time, the foreign ministers of the US, Japan, Australia, and India met in Washington to hold the second "Quad" meeting of the year. Reuters reported that despite trade-related bilateral differences that have caused friction among the four countries, US Secretary of State Rubio still tried to rally allies to strengthen counterbalancing China.

At the welcome ceremony for the representatives from the three countries, Rubio called Quad members "important strategic partners," emphasizing the need to reduce negotiations and focus more on actions in economic and security cooperation. He stressed that it was time to "take concrete actions" on specific issues.

Rubio revealed that later that day, about 30 to 40 companies from Quad member countries would meet at the US Department of State to discuss cooperation directions such as supply chain diversification, with a particular focus on critical minerals currently dominated by China.

In the joint statement by the four foreign ministers, although China was not directly named, they stated that the four countries reaffirmed their commitment to achieving a "free and open Indo-Pacific region" and announced the launch of the so-called "Quad Critical Minerals Initiative."

According to Nikkei Asia, before the Quad talks began, Rubio also told reporters that he was working toward "diversifying the global supply chains of critical minerals—ensuring not only access to raw materials but also the ability to process and purify them into usable materials." He hoped the Quad could achieve "real progress" on this issue.

AFP reported that after President Trump took office in January this year, Rubio held the first "Quad" meeting on his first day in office, demonstrating America's determination and strength to lead Indo-Pacific affairs and counter China. However, since then, his attention has mainly focused on the Middle East, the Ukraine issue, and domestic priorities.

Now, the US is again focusing on Asia, directly targeting China. But under Trump's "tariff stick," allies are already fragmented and have their own agendas.

US Department of State video screenshot

Nikkei Asia pointed out that this meeting took place as trade and other bilateral tensions between the Trump administration and Quad member states are intensifying. Reuters also said that all member states have been affected by Trump's global tariff campaign.

Regarding relations with Japan, Trump hinted that the US would not reach any trade agreement with Japan before the July 9 deadline for the so-called "reciprocal tariffs" negotiations. He also criticized Japan for refusing to buy American cars and rice while exporting goods to the US, calling it a "spoiled" country.

Additionally, due to constant pressure from the US, urging Japan to increase defense spending further, Japan suddenly announced the postponement of the planned US-Japan "2+2" high-level talks that had been in preparation for six months.

"Tariff negotiations have taken up all the agenda, and Japan clearly feels frustrated with the US government's public lecturing on defense spending," said Nicholas Szechenyi from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.

Australia, meanwhile, is more concerned about the US Department of Defense's announcement in June that it has officially begun re-evaluating the AUKUS agreement signed by the US, UK, and Australia during the Biden era to determine whether to withdraw from selling nuclear submarines and sharing technology under the AUKUS agreement.

The evaluation is led by Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy, Elbridge Colby. He has repeatedly publicly questioned the agreement, one reason being concern that selling such equipment abroad when domestic production capacity is limited could weaken the deterrent against China, making the agreement contradictory to US interests.

Meanwhile, although Trump claimed on Tuesday that he hopes to reach a trade agreement with India, helping American companies expand into the Indian market and significantly lowering tariffs faced by India, India still has reservations about the US stance on recent India-Pakistan clashes.

Trump claimed that he was the one who facilitated the ceasefire and said it was through trade pressure that both sides returned to the negotiating table. His recent banquet with Pakistan's Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir at the White House sparked significant controversy in India.

At the joint press conference on July 1, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar specifically emphasized that the international community must have "zero tolerance" for terrorism and expressed "hope that Quad partners understand and agree with this."

Jeffrey Hornung, head of the Japan research program at the Rand Corporation's National Security Research Division, told Nikkei Asia that unlike AUKUS, the Quad mechanism fits the Trump administration's needs because it is a "cost-free" collaboration model.

He said, "The US can stand shoulder to shoulder with three allies, claiming a high degree of alignment in its strategy toward China, but without making any substantive commitments."

It is worth noting that last week, the leaders of Japan, Australia, and South Korea were absent from the NATO summit held in the Netherlands. Emma Chanlett-Avery, director of political security affairs at the Asia Society Policy Institute in Washington, pointed out, "There are serious concerns about the future of regional cooperation."

Regarding the Quad foreign ministers' meeting, the Chinese side previously responded, stating that China has always advocated that cooperation between countries should not target a third party. Playing group politics and bloc confrontation will not bring peace and security, and is not conducive to stability in the Asia-Pacific and the world. It hopes that relevant parties will do more to enhance mutual trust and cooperation among countries.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Guan察者网, and unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

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