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India and its Quad partners on Saturday outlined plans for more than $85 million in assistance to widen access to trusted artificial intelligence across the Indo-Pacific. The United States also committed USD10 million for critical minerals recycling facilities in India and Southeast Asia.
The announcements followed a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Japan said the talks lasted about 40 minutes and took place on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. It was the third Quad ministerial this year, after meetings in May and July.
AI and technology
The USD 85 million is meant to support access to trusted technology, including through the Quad SI Accelerator. The joint statement did not say how much each country will contribute or how the money will be distributed. The partners will also try to identify chokepoints in semiconductor and AI supply chains before they cause disruption, and will pick priority countries for cooperation on 5G, 6G and Open RAN networks. Work on mapping digital identity standards will continue.
Critical minerals
The USD10 million US commitment will back facilities that recover minerals from discarded electronics and scrap, reducing reliance on any single supplier. The ministers welcomed private investment in waste collection, processing plants and refineries, and said they would explore easier cross-border movement of recyclable materials.
They voiced grave concern over economic coercion, including arbitrary export restrictions, and criticised non-market practices that create overcapacity. The statement did not name any country in that passage.
Business and finance
The first Quad Business Leaders’ Forum will bring together industry, government and policy experts to promote commercial ties. Export credit agencies from the four countries will meet in Tokyo on November 18.
Maritime security
The ministers stressed the need to protect navigation rights in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb, in line with international law. The partners plan their first exercise under the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration at Sea Dragon 2027, and a maritime domain awareness symposium is planned for early 2027. A second Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer mission sailed from Chennai to Perth between September 25 and October 7.
Other commitments
The four countries pledged to dismantle cyber scam operations that they said steal tens of billions of dollars annually from their citizens. Japan said the talks also covered the East China Sea, South China Sea, the Middle East and North Korea. The ministers also expressed condolences for deaths in Nepal’s August 26 flash floods and looked forward to a leaders’ summit and another ministerial meeting.
English (US) ·