Quad leaders meeting in Manila on 17 November would be first summit in two years, sources say

Leaders of the United States, Japan, Australia and India are expected to hold a Quad leaders meeting in Manila on Tuesday 17 November, two people familiar with the planning told Reuters on Saturday. It would be the first summit of the Quad nations in two years.

What the sources say about the Quad leaders meeting

Manila is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, which begins on Sunday, and the leaders would meet on its sidelines, Reuters reported. A second person, from the Philippine government and briefed on the preparations, said the Quad leaders were expected to gather shortly after US President Donald Trump arrives on Tuesday, the last day of the summit. It would be the first Quad leaders’ meeting since Trump returned to office last year.

Shipping is on the expected agenda. One of the people said the leaders were likely to take up free and unimpeded commercial shipping lanes, in order to secure energy supplies from across the world. According to the Reuters report carried by The Star, that person spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak with the media.

Who is expected to attend the ASEAN summit sidelines meeting

A Philippine Daily Inquirer report, republished by Asia News Network, named the four leaders as Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. It said the meeting will be their first in more than two years.

What Marco Rubio said about the Quad

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated last month that the Quad leaders could meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, Reuters said. He spoke on 31 October at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, the Inquirer reported. The Quad is made up of the United States, Australia, India and Japan.

China looms over the grouping. It is widely considered a counterweight to Beijing’s growing influence in the region, although its members have said it is not directed against any one country. Rubio maintained that it was not “anti-China,” the Inquirer said.

What happens next for the Quad leaders meeting

Nothing is official yet. Reuters’ report rests on two people and cites no announcement, so no government has confirmed the Quad leaders meeting in the sources reviewed. The ASEAN summit opens on Sunday 15 November. Trump is also due to meet Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in Shenzhen on 19 November, which NIS covered in its report on the White House confirming the Shenzhen talks.