In brief
Kyodo reported that the Quad’s foreign ministers voiced "grave concerns" about China’s trade restrictions and economic coercion at a meeting in Atlanta, and announced a joint business forum and $85 million in AI aid to expand trusted access across the region. They also noted upcoming Quad summit talks in the Philippines and a November visit to Manila for ASEAN‑Quad discussions.
In Atlanta, the top diplomats of Japan, the U.S., Australia and India met on Saturday to condemn what they described as China’s trade restrictions and other economically coercive tactics. Kyodo reported the four foreign ministers voiced "grave concerns" about the country’s use of arbitrary export restrictions, non‑market policies and overcapacity that disrupt global supply chains in critical industries.
The group also pledged over $85 million in technical and financial assistance to improve access to trusted artificial intelligence across the Indo‑Pacific, Kyodo said. The partners announced they would launch a joint business forum aimed at counteracting what they view as Chinese market distortions.
In a joint statement, Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said they had "voiced grave concerns regarding economic coercion" and called for greater cooperation.
Motegi voiced "strong opposition to any attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo through the use of force or intimidation," according to Kyodo. The statement was issued after the four diplomatically discussed existing Quad initiatives on the sidelines of a Group of 20 foreign ministers’ meeting.
The diplomats met for a third time this year, ahead of a potential Quad summit next month in the Philippines. They also noted plans for a mid‑November visit to Manila for meetings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its partners.
