Quadrilateral Security Dialogue Australia , India , Japan , and the United States announce a joint initiative to work towards securing minerals necessary for new...

The so-called Quad group was hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and announced a critical minerals initiative. The group wants to counter China's dominance in the field of minerals essential for new technology.

The so-called Quad group was hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and announced a critical minerals initiative.

The group wants to counter China's dominance in the field of minerals essential for new technology.

The United States along with Japan, India and Australia announced a critical minerals initiative on Tuesday amid concerns over China's dominance in the field.

The group of four, also known as the "Quad," pledged to work towards a stable supply of minerals that are necessary for new technologies.

"Reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation and supply chain disruptions," a joint statement by the group said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met his counterparts in Washington, DC, despite ties between the Quad nations and US being strained due to President Donald Trump's tariffs and other policies.

In his opening remarks, Rubio called the other nations important strategic partners and said it was time to "deliver action" on specific issues.

In attendance were Australia's Penny Wong, India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Japan's Takeshi Iwaya.

"Today’s gathering will strengthen strategic stability in the Indo - Pacific and keep it free and open," Jaishankar posted on X.

Few details of the initiative were shared and Beijing was not called out by name, but the goal was clearly to reduce reliance on China for minerals, which are crucial in semiconductors and other technologies.

The joint statement expressed concern over aggressive activities in the South China Sea and East China Sea that "threaten peace and stability in the region.".

In comments made after the meeting, Rubio said he was focused on diversifying supply chains and wanted "real progress.".

The Quad group was first conceived as a group of democracies to contain China's influence.

The importance of the report depends on confirmed records, named authorities and any follow-up statements that clarify the scale, timing and public impact of the development.

The next useful information will be the most direct record available: an official notice, a named statement, an updated dataset, a court filing, a regulator note or a corrected public advisory.