China on Wednesday said its activities and claims over the South China Sea are legitimate and “completely justified”, reacting to the Quad Foreign Ministers’ assertions “strongly” opposing any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion in the Indo Pacific region.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on his first full day in office on Tuesday, warned jointly with Japan, India and Australia against coercive moves in Asia, in a veiled but clear warning to China over its maritime actions.

Quad nations sent a clear message to China by opposing any actions that change the status quo by force. They are committed to strengthening a free and open Indo-Pacific with upheld rule of law and sovereignty.

The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted a crucial meeting with foreign ministers from Australia, India, and Japan, emphasizing the importance of allied cooperation amid China's rise. The meeting aims to signal a strategic focus on countering Beijing's influence in the Indo-Pacific,

The Quad ministerial meeting of Australia, India, Japan, and the US focused on countering China's influence and maintaining a free Indo-Pacific.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with other members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue in Washington, including US Security of State Marco Rubio.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to host a meeting of the Quad nations. The meeting aims to signal opposition to China's influence in the Indo-Pacific and hints at an early Quad summit in Trump's presidency.

After the hour-long meeting, the four ministers reconfirmed the Quad Leadership Summit in India later this year

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed Washington's commitment to Manila and condemned Beijing for its "dangerous and destabilising" actions in the Sea, in his first phone call with Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo.

China’s relations are starting to improve with Japan, India and other countries that former U.S. President Joe Biden courted, just as Donald Trump brings his more unilateralist approach back to

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