U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is hosting the foreign ministers of Australia, India, and Japan on Saturday for discussions centering on regional supply chains and economic security, marking the diplomatic coalition’s third ministerial gathering of the year.
The Saturday session lays the groundwork for a scheduled summit of the four allied leaders in Manila next month. That leaders’ gathering is slated to take place during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations conference in the Philippine capital from November 15 to 18. It will represent the first Quad leaders’ summit since 2024 and the first for U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration follows the formal framework established under President Joe Biden in 2021. Trump had previously been scheduled to attend a Quad summit in India in late 2025, but canceled the trip amid trade frictions and tariff disputes with New Delhi.
The ministerial talks precede the conclusion of a two-day gathering of Group of 20 major economies hosted in Atlanta, Georgia. Following the conclusion of the diplomatic sessions on Saturday, Rubio has invited the visiting foreign ministers to attend a college football game, according to the State Department schedule. Rubio’s elder son, Anthony, plays as a running back for the University of Florida team, which is matching up against the higher-ranked University of Georgia.
Ahead of the G20 meetings, Rubio addressed participants at a Friday evening reception held at the Georgia Aquarium, urging international cooperation to navigate complex global economic and geopolitical challenges. “Because we all face these challenges, we must all work together to address them,” Rubio told the gathering. “The future of our nations depend on our willingness to understand that while our interests may not always align, we should always seek to work together to advance them when and where they do align.”
The G20 proceedings highlighted sharp international divisions, particularly over ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Organizers ultimately canceled the traditional group photograph after several European member nations declined to be pictured alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Rubio is scheduled to hold a press conference following Saturday’s meetings to discuss the outcomes of the diplomatic engagements. In addition to reviewing the Indo-Pacific partnership, U.S. officials noted the G20 discussions aim to lay preliminary groundwork for a separate leaders’ summit scheduled for December 14 to 15 at Trump’s Doral golf resort.
