Jaishankar to meet Quad counterparts on sidelines of ASEAN meet in Manila

External affairs minister S Jaishankar will join his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the US for a Quad foreign ministers’ meet on the margins of meetings under the ASEAN framework in the Philippines this week, the second such gathering of the grouping in almost two months.Jaishankar will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from several countries. (REUTERS)The Quad foreign ministers last met in New Delhi in late May, when US secretary of state Marco Rubio travelled to India for talks with Jaishankar. However, the members of the grouping are yet to finalise dates for a Quad Leaders’ Summit, which was originally to be hosted by India last year.Jaishankar is visiting the Philippines’ capital of Manila during July 22-23 to participate in meetings of foreign ministers under the ASEAN framework, including the ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meetings, the external affairs ministry said on Tuesday.He will participate in a Quad foreign ministers’ meeting with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the US on the margins of the ASEAN-related meetings, the ministry said without giving details.Jaishankar will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from several countries.Jaishankar’s visit “underscores India’s deepening engagement with ASEAN under the Act East policy” and reaffirms New Delhi’s commitment to further strengthen the ASEAN-India comprehensive strategic partnership, the ministry said.Also Read:India summons Russian diplomat over death of four Indian seafarers in vessel attack off Ukraine coastThe visit is also of significance as 2026 has been designated the ASEAN-India year of maritime cooperation.The Quad launched an energy security initiative to help Indo-Pacific nations cope with disruptions due to the West Asia conflict and a project to build a port in Fiji at the last meeting of the grouping’s foreign ministers in New Delhi on May 26. The grouping also unveiled new measures to inject momentum into existing collaboration in maritime surveillance and critical minerals.Most of the initiatives were aimed at countering China’s assertive actions across the Indo-Pacific and its dominance in sectors such as infrastructure and telecommunications. This was the third Quad foreign ministers’ meeting since September 2024, but there was no official word at the time on when the next leaders’ summit would be convened.