Rubio kicks off Trump foreign policy engagements in meetings with Indo-Pacific ‘Quad’ [Video]

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Tuesday with his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan as the Trump administration kicked off its formal foreign policy engagements in discussions with the Indo-Pacific “Quad.”

The grouping of the four countries has been seen by many as an initiative to counter or at least slow China’s increasing assertiveness and aggressiveness in the region, something over which President Donald Trump and his predecessors have all expressed deep concern.

The timing of Tuesday’s meeting — on Trump’s first full day in office and just hours after Rubio was sworn in as America’s top diplomat — suggests that it will remain a priority for Trump.

However, none of the four foreign ministers — Rubio, Australian Penny Wong, Indian S. Jaishankar or Japanese Iwaya Takeshi — spoke as they opened their meeting at the State Department. Instead they stood silent and expressionless in front of their respective flags before journalists were ushered out.

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