At the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Washington, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar underscored the vital role their nations—and the broader Quad grouping—play in shaping the 21st-century Indo-Pacific region.
“Future of the 21st century being made in this region”
Opening the press conference on July 1, Minister Wong emphasised that Australia, India, Japan, and the United States must collaborate to address the escalating strategic challenges. She recalled U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s declaration during his Senate confirmation hearings that “the future of the 21st century [is] being made in this region,” and affirmed, “Australia agrees.”
Wong noted that the four Quad countries represent nearly a quarter of the world’s population and more than one-third of global GDP, and that their partnership extends beyond diplomacy into practical cooperation on technology, supply-chain resilience and maritime security.
“Whether it’s responding to emergencies—like our coordinated relief after Myanmar’s earthquakes—or strengthening regional defences, we are stronger when we work together,”
Wong said, calling the Washington meeting “pivotal” amid rising competition in Europe and the Middle East.
India’s zero tolerance on terrorism
Shifting the focus to security threats, Minister Jaishankar condemned terrorism in light of India’s recent Operation Sindoor response to the Pahalgam attack.
“The world must display zero tolerance. Victims and perpetrators must never be equated, and India has every right to defend its people,”
he declared, urging Quad partners to appreciate New Delhi’s counterterrorism measures.
Jaishankar reiterated the Quad’s broader strategic objectives—promoting a free, open and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific—and praised recent progress in maritime domain awareness, logistics coordination and educational exchanges. He also announced that India will host the next Quad leaders’ summit, inviting partners to help make it “productive and forward-looking.”
Deepening India–Australia cooperation
Beyond the multilateral stage, the meeting highlighted the growing bilateral ties between Australia and India. Both ministers pointed to close collaboration in defence, trade and people-to-people links.
Wong noted that Australia’s commitments to technology sharing and diversified supply chains would benefit from deeper engagement with India’s booming technology sector. Jaishankar, in turn, spoke of expanding industrial co-production under the AUKUS framework and other bilateral defence initiatives, calling the India–Australia partnership “essential to regional stability.”
India–Japan: Strengthening the “Special, Strategic and Global Partnership”
On the sidelines of the Quad meeting, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a one-on-one with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya to prepare for the annual India–Japan Prime Ministerial Summit later this year.
Jaishankar noted that following Prime Ministers Modi and Kishida’s informal discussions at the G7 in Canada, the upcoming summit in Tokyo will build momentum across political, security and economic fronts. He highlighted deepening defence ties—such as joint exercises and technology transfers—and expanding state-to-prefecture linkages in infrastructure, investment and green energy.
Iwaya offered condolences for the recent Ahmedabad air tragedy and reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to supporting India’s development agenda, including through co-development of critical minerals processing and advanced manufacturing.
India–US: One of the Most Consequential Defence Partnerships
Immediately after the Quad gathering, Jaishankar met U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, where both leaders celebrated the integration of U.S. platforms—C-130Js, P-8Is, Apache helicopters, and MQ-9 drones—into the Indian armed forces. Hegseth spoke of finalising the ten-year Major Defence Partnership Framework, co-producing systems like Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stryker combat vehicles in India, and expanding joint R&D on hypersonics and unmanned systems.
Jaishankar described the U.S.-India defence relationship as “truly one of the most consequential pillars” of bilateral ties, noting that enhanced interoperability and defence industrial co-operation underpin both nations’ strategic objectives in the Indo-Pacific. Further agreements on logistics support and reciprocal access were also discussed as part of a growing axis of maritime security cooperation.
These bilateral tracks—India’s deepening strategic convergence with Tokyo and Washington—complement the Quad’s multilateral agenda, underscoring New Delhi’s pivotal role in shaping both regional security architectures and global supply-chain resilience.
Australia–Japan: Converging on Security & Supply Chains
Australia’s ties with Japan mirror its Quad agenda, with both nations pursuing close collaboration on maritime security and diversified supply chains.
In May, the two governments held their first Joint Working Group on Critical Minerals, aiming to co-develop processing facilities in Australia that feed Japanese high-tech manufacturing. Militarily, the 2025 Talisman Sabre exercises featured the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force for the first time alongside Australian and U.S. troops, reflecting growing interoperability in the Indo-Pacific.
Both countries have also aligned on the trilateral Digital Supply Chain Initiative with India, locking in standards for secure data flows and semiconductor resilience. These bilateral and trilateral efforts underscore Australia’s commitment to a rules-based order and its role as both India’s and Japan’s trusted partner in the region.
Looking ahead
As the Quad meeting concluded, all four ministers reaffirmed their dedication to turning high-level dialogue into tangible outcomes. Plans were set in motion for joint exercises, new critical minerals supply arrangements and enhanced maritime patrols. With both Australia and India poised to host upcoming Quad summits—India next, followed by Australia in 2026—the partnership charts a clear path toward a more secure, prosperous and resilient Indo-Pacific.
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