Jaishankar holds high-level talks with Rubio, Lavrov at Quad, Asean meetings in Manila

New Delhi: The external affairs minister, S Jaishankar held talks with the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, in Manila, where the two leaders reviewed priority areas of the India-US global partnership ahead of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the sidelines of the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. According to Jaishankar, the discussions focused on trade and tariffs, energy cooperation, defence and security, critical minerals and artificial intelligence.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional, global and multilateral developments.

Following the bilateral meeting, Jaishankar joined his counterparts from the United States, Australia and Japan for the Quad meeting. In a post on X, he said the ministers reviewed the Indo-Pacific landscape, discussed recent developments and reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific while recognizing Asean centrality.

Rubio, in a separate post on X after the Quad meeting, said the grouping reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Asean centrality and advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific. He said the United States, India, Australia and Japan remained committed to a regional order based on the rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding that the Quad would meet again later this year.

Jaishankar also participated in the Asean-India meeting, where he welcomed the Philippines’ role as the country coordinator for strengthening the ASEAN-India strategic partnership. According to his post, theme “Navigating Our Future, Together” reflected the shared values of India and Asean anchored in mutual trust and cooperation for peace, stability and development across the Indo-Pacific.

He said an increasingly turbulent global environment had placed supply chains, energy, food and health security, and maritime cooperation under growing pressure, stressing that deeper cooperation was essential to address these challenges. Jaishankar also highlighted 2026 as the Asean-India Year of Maritime Cooperation and underscored the partnership’s focus on trade and investment, mobility and talent, technology, digital innovation, artificial intelligence, sustainability and connectivity. He reiterated that Asean centrality remained a key principle of India’s Indo-Pacific approach.

On the sidelines of the meetings, Jaishankar held an in-depth review of bilateral relations with the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov. The discussions covered trade and investment, energy and connectivity, science and technology, mobility, the Ukraine conflict and the Gulf situation. He also reiterated India’s strong concern regarding the safety of Indian seafarers in the region.

As RNA Media reported earlier in the day, Jaishankar also met the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, for wide-ranging discussions on bilateral ties and regional and global developments. In opening remarks shared on X, he said the two sides reviewed the progress in bilateral relations and exchanged views on important regional and global issues.

The external affairs minister separately met the Philippines foreign secretary, Ma Theresa P Lazaro, to discuss strengthening the India-Philippines partnership, with talks focusing on trade and investment, education, defence and security, maritime cooperation, capacity building and development cooperation.

Jaishankar also met the Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong; the Canadian foreign minister, Anita Anand; and the Singapore foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan. In posts, he said he reviewed the outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Australia visit with Wong, discussed advancing India-Canada ties with Anand, and exchanged views on regional and global developments with Balakrishnan.