The new secretary of state met with his counterparts from Australia, India, and Japan after being sworn in Tuesday.

Trump's new secretary of state met with his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan to discuss countering China's rising power. View on euronews

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

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his Quad counterparts - India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Japan's Takeshi Iwaya, and Australia's Penny Wong - at the US Department of State here on Tuesday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began his tenure with a focus on the Indo-Pacific Quad, meeting with leaders from Australia, India, and Japan. The Quad aims to counter China's growing regional influence.

After the Quad ministerial, Rubio had his first bilateral with Jaishankar, which lasted for more than an hour. India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Kwatra, was also present in the meeting. Jaishankar also met National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on Tuesday.

The Senate voted unanimously to confirm Sen. Marco Rubio's as secretary of state on Monday, making him the first member of President Donald Trump's second Cabinet.

However, none of the four foreign ministers — Rubio, Australian Penny Wong, Indian S. Jaishankar or Japanese Iwaya Takeshi — spoke as they opened their meeting at the State Department. Instead they stood silent and expressionless in front of their respective flags before journalists were ushered out.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has met with his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan as the Trump administration kicks off its formal foreign policy engagements in discussions with the Indo-Pacific “Quad.

Analysts have said the meeting is designed to signal that countering Beijing is a top priority for Mr Trump. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Happy Wednesday! Back in 2012, now-retired Mississippi state Rep. Steve Holland introduced legislation to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” telling a public broadcaster it was a satirical jab at the Mississippi legislature’s Republican majority. Little did he know.