Rubio called China the "most potent, dangerous adversary" during his confirmation and is expected to work with India, Japan, and Australia to counter this.

The new US secretary of state and his counterparts from India, Japan and Australia issued a joint statement promising to work toward a "free and open Indo-Pacific".

New US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met counterparts Tuesday from Japan, India and Australia on his first day in office, in a sign of solidarity in the face of China.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a meeting in Washington with counterparts from Australia, India and Japan on Tuesday will stress the importance of working with allies "on the things that are important to America and Americans.

The Quad meeting was also attended by foreign ministers, Penny Wong from Australia and Takeshi Iwaya from Japan