Port in Fiji, maritime surveillance, minerals pact: Quad means business in the Indo-Pacific

The four foreign ministers of the Quad grouping met in New Delhi on Tuesday and walked away with three concrete outcomes: a new maritime surveillance initiative, a critical minerals framework, and the grouping's first-ever joint infrastructure project, a port in Fiji. 

The meeting, chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, was the third Quad foreign ministers' meeting since September 2024. 

On the maritime front, the Quad announced the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Cooperation Initiative, which will leverage each member country's surveillance capabilities across the region, alongside an expansion of the existing Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative. 

Jaishankar's post-meeting public statement confirmed agreement on a Common Operating Picture in the maritime domain and plans to consider an expert panel on port infrastructure, collaborate on a pilot port project in Fiji, and work on undersea cables. 

The Fiji port project marks the grouping's first joint infrastructure initiative,  announced explicitly as a response to insufficient port capacity in the Pacific Islands. 

The ministers also finalised the Quad Critical Minerals Framework, which will guide investment coordination and economic policy tools across mining, processing, and recycling of critical minerals, a development of particular significance for Japan after China restricted shipments of minerals used in aerospace, defence, and semiconductor industries following a diplomatic dispute. 

Separately, a bilateral India–US Critical Minerals Framework was also signed. The meeting additionally announced the Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security, covering technology, management, policy, international market analysis, and emergency response exercises. 

Counterterrorism also figured in the talks. Jaishankar's formal media statement noted that there must be zero tolerance for terrorism, and that nations subject to terrorist attacks have the right to defend themselves.

The Quad had lost some momentum last year after failing to hold a leaders' summit, amid friction between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi over US tariffs and other matters. 

Rubio indicated over the weekend that diplomats would work towards a leaders' meeting later this year, though foreign ministers declined to confirm the timeline on Tuesday. New Delhi has pressed for a Trump visit to India, which analysts expect would be tied to a Quad summit.