Newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio is wasting no time in mobilizing what he hopes are the available forces in Asia against China. In the last two days he has met with Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi in Washington, and he held a phone call with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo, all aimed at keeping the Asian nations in line to confront China.
The readout on the meeting with Penny Wong is focused on the Quad (U.S., Australia, India, Japan) and AUKUS (Australia, U.K., U.S.), adding that “the longstanding U.S.-Australia Alliance is foundational to international security and prosperity, and to a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region free from coercion.”
