Quad Foreign Ministers Agree on Fiji Port Construction and Critical Minerals Pact

Central News Agency, New Delhi, May 26. The foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, forming the 'Quad,' have agreed to cooperate on building a port in Fiji and announced agreements covering critical minerals and energy security. According to Reuters, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a brief meeting, the third such Quad meeting since September 2024. The meeting took place as the U.S. and Iran are negotiating a potential deal to end three months of conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The Quad ministers announced the construction of a port in Fiji, marking the group's first joint infrastructure project. Rubio noted, 'We are cooperating on port infrastructure issues, specifically to address the lack of port throughput in Pacific Island nations, and we have announced a plan to cooperate with Fiji.' He added that this initiative is a 'concrete demonstration of our group's ability to provide high-quality, resilient infrastructure.' Although a leaders' summit was not held last year due to tensions between U.S. President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Modi over tariffs, Rubio said, 'We are beginning to show real achievements and substantive progress. We have a deep commitment to this partnership. It is the core and cornerstone of the United States' global strategy.' He stated that the Quad agreed to launch an 'Indo-Pacific Energy Security' initiative and a 'Critical Minerals Framework.' Furthermore, according to the Associated Press, Rubio announced a new 'Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Initiative' after the meeting, aimed at integrating the surveillance capabilities of the four nations and strengthening real-time intelligence sharing across the region. The Quad has previously proposed various initiatives to maintain a 'free and open maritime order' by strengthening the collection of intelligence on maritime conditions.