The United States along with Japan, India and Australia announced a critical minerals initiative on Tuesday amid concerns over China's dominance in the field.

The group of four, also known as the "Quad," pledged to work towards a stable supply of minerals that are necessary for new technologies.

"Reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation and supply chain disruptions," a joint statement by the group said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met his counterparts in Washington, DC, despite ties between the Quad nations and US being strained due to President Donald Trump's tariffs and other policies. 

In his opening remarks, Rubio called the other nations important strategic partners and said it was time to "deliver action" on specific issues.

In attendance were Australia's Penny Wong, India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Japan's Takeshi Iwaya.

"Today’s gathering will strengthen strategic stability in the Indo - Pacific and keep it free and open," Jaishankar posted on X.

What did the Quad members discuss

Few details of the initiative were shared and Beijing was not called out by name, but the goal was clearly to reduce reliance on China for minerals, which are crucial in semiconductors and other technologies. 

The joint statement expressed concern over aggressive activities in the South China Sea and East China Sea that "threaten peace and stability in the region."

In comments made after the meeting, Rubio said he was focused on diversifying supply chains and wanted "real progress."

The Quad group was first conceived as a group of democracies to contain China's influence. 

They last met in January, soon after the inauguration of Trump's second term as president. However, defying expectations of many, China has not been a priority for this US administration.

Trump is expected to travel to India for a Quad meeting later this year.

The group condemned the Pahalgam attack in India and North Korea's nuclear launches.

Though they have a common focus regarding China, the Quad members differ on several other issues, such as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. 

Rubio also said about 30 or 40 companies from Quad countries were to meet on Tuesday to discuss cooperation and diversification of the supply chain for critical minerals.

Edited by Sean Sinico