Is the ‘Quad’ Dying a Slow Death? Even with Trump, It Still Has a Vital Role to Play

Why It Matters

The meeting demonstrates the Quad’s resilience as a counterweight to China, even as US domestic politics and bilateral frictions threaten cohesion. Continued cooperation safeguards Indo‑Pacific security and supply‑chain independence.

Key Takeaways

• Quad foreign ministers met in New Delhi, first since 2024.
• Agreement to build Fiji port and deepen critical minerals cooperation.
• US‑India relations sour under Trump, but Quad agenda persists.
• China’s military buildup keeps Quad’s strategic relevance intact.
• Polls show majority support for formal Quad military alliance.

Pulse Analysis

The Quad—United States, Australia, Japan and India—has evolved from a loose security dialogue into a multi‑domain partnership that now tackles health, technology and supply‑chain resilience. This week its foreign ministers convened in New Delhi, the first senior gathering since the 2024 summit in Washington, signaling that the grouping remains operational despite the Trump administration’s unpredictable foreign‑policy style. While President Trump has pursued aggressive tariffs and an immigration crackdown that have strained bilateral ties, the structural challenge posed by China’s expanding naval presence and assertive diplomacy continues to drive the Quad’s agenda.

Washington’s relationship with New Delhi has hit a low point, with tariff hikes, restrictions on Indian migrants and divergent stances on Russian oil eroding trust. Nevertheless, the ministers reached concrete agreements: a joint venture to construct a deep‑water port in Fiji, expanded cooperation on critical minerals such as rare‑earth elements, and a pledge to increase maritime patrols in contested waters. These initiatives diversify supply‑chain dependencies away from China and give smaller Indo‑Pacific states tangible benefits, offsetting diplomatic friction between the United States and India.

The Quad’s durability matters because China views the coalition as a strategic encirclement and is accelerating its own military modernization in response. Public opinion across the four democracies—49 % of Australians, 44 % of Indians, 42 % of Americans and 41 % of Japanese—now favors a formal military alliance, suggesting a domestic mandate for deeper integration. As leadership cycles turn and U.S. domestic politics fluctuate, the Quad’s institutional momentum and shared perception of a revisionist Beijing are likely to keep it at the forefront of Indo‑Pacific security architecture.