Newly appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held the first QUAD meeting where the leaders sent a veiled strong message to China by saying that they are commitment to strengthening a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.

In a  joint statement, the QUAD leaders said: "We, the Secretary of State of the United States and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan, met today in Washington D.C. to reaffirm our shared commitment to strengthening a Free and Open Indo-Pacific where the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty, and territorial integrity are upheld and defended."

"Our four nations maintain our conviction that international law, economic opportunity, peace, stability, and security in all domains including the maritime domain underpin the development and prosperity of the peoples of the Indo-Pacific," the statement said.

QUAD leaders said they strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.

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Apart from Rubio, the meeting was attended by Australia's Penny Wong, India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Japan's Takeshi Iwaya in Washington.

In the statement, the QUAD leaders further said they are committed to strengthening regional maritime, economic, and technology security in the face of increasing threats.

"We look forward to advancing the work of the Quad in the coming months and will meet together on a regular basis as we prepare for the next Quad Leaders’ Summit hosted by India," the statement said.

Jaishankar described the meeting as 'productive'.

After attending the meeting, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar wrote on X: "Attended a productive Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting today in Washington DC. Thank @secrubio for hosting us and FMs @SenatorWong
& Takeshi Iwaya for their participation."

" Significant that the Quad FMM took place within hours of the inauguration of the Trump Administration. This underlines the priority it has in the foreign policy of its member states," he said.

He said: "Our wide-ranging discussions addressed different dimensions of ensuring a free, open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific."