The planned Quad leaders’ meeting in Manila has no confirmed day, leaving its place within November’s ASEAN events unsettled as reports differ on U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s latest comments.
The U.S. Department of State transcript of Rubio’s Oct. 20 interview in Mumbai records him saying Australia, India, Japan and the United States had agreed to meet in Manila during November’s ASEAN events. He said no specific date had been set and that the leaders could announce concrete actions without identifying proposals. EconoTimes previously reported the Manila plan.
Reports on Rubio’s Oct. 31 remarks in Atlanta differed on whether an announcement was imminent. Hindustan Times reported that he suggested an announcement could be imminent or might already have been made. Reuters described him as hoping an announcement would come soon. Neither report named a meeting date.
The Quad groups Australia, India, Japan and the United States. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade lists maritime and transnational security, economic security and prosperity, critical and emerging technology, and emergency response among the group’s cooperation areas.
