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On May 26, India hosted a formal meeting of the foreign ministers of the Quad — comprising the United States, Australia, India, and Japan. Since its initial creation in 2007 and revival in 2017, foreign policy analysts have debated the usefulness of the organization, which was designed as a group of democratic states that could work together to counter growing Chinese power and influence. Under the second Trump administration, some analysts have expressed growing pessimism about the group’s effectiveness, given the president’s apparent lack of interest in attending a meeting with heads of state. Nonetheless, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to New Delhi to meet with his counterparts.We asked four experts to consider the meeting and its outcomes from the perspectives of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan.Read more below.Lisa Curtis Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American SecurityLast week’s Quad foreign ministers meeting breathed new life into a critical grouping that will assist the United States in competing more effectively with China and accomplishing its Indo-Pacific objectives. The Quad foreign ministers released a lengthy joint statement that listed several Quad accomplishments on technology, maritime security, and disaster response. It also introduced new initiatives for cooperation on critical minerals, energy security, and port development, including construction of a port in Fiji, a pivotal Pacific Island nation.The gathering marked a strategic milestone for the Trump administration in the Indo-Pacific at a time when observers worry the United States is getting distracted in other parts of the world. Calling the Quad a “linchpin and a cornerstone” of U.S. global strategy, Rubio made clear the Quad remains a priority. But perhaps the clearest sign of the Quad’s success was Beijing’s objection to it, labeling it an example of “bloc confrontation.”Sameer Lalwani