In a strategic move to bolster America’s position in the Indo-Pacific, two senior US senators have urged the Trump administration to convene a Quad leaders’ summit before President Donald Trump’s scheduled April meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, penned a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasizing the urgency of this gathering.
The Quad, comprising the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, has emerged as a cornerstone of regional security amid rising tensions with China. With India set to host the summit—originally slated for 2025—the lawmakers argue that holding it now would project unity and resolve among the world’s leading democracies in the Indo-Pacific.
‘Convoking a Quad Leaders Summit at this critical juncture of intense strategic competition with China will send a clear signal of unity, resolve, and strategic alignment among leading Indo-Pacific democracies,’ the senators wrote. They highlighted that timing the summit ahead of Trump’s Beijing visit would demonstrate US leadership and position the president from a place of strength in negotiations.
The letter underscores recent diplomatic successes, including strengthened bilateral ties with Australia, India, and Japan, and a new trade deal with India that lays the groundwork for deeper strategic and defense cooperation. Common challenges facing Quad partners—such as supply chain vulnerabilities, restrictions on critical minerals, threats to a free and open Indo-Pacific, and competition in emerging technologies—demand collective action.
China’s escalating diplomatic pressure, military threats, and economic coercion against Japan threaten regional stability and international norms, the senators noted. They positioned the Quad as uniquely suited to address these issues, advancing priorities from Trump’s 2025 National Security Strategy, including bolstering deterrence among allies, reducing strategic dependencies on adversaries, safeguarding technological leadership, and upholding freedom of navigation.
Calling for a leaders’ summit followed by foreign ministers’ and working group meetings, the lawmakers expressed eagerness to collaborate on strengthening Quad diplomacy. They also requested a briefing by March 13, 2026, on the administration’s vision and priorities for the grouping.
Over the past decade, the Quad has evolved into a vital platform for Indo-Pacific security, resilient supply chains, emerging technologies, and maritime cooperation. India’s consistent support for a free and open region, even as it balances tensions with China along its borders, underscores the partnership’s importance in countering broader regional challenges.