Quad foreign ministers agree on critical minerals, AI and maritime security at Atlanta meeting

India, the United States, Japan and Australia have taken an important step to give fresh direction to economic and strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The four countries agreed to expand cooperation in strengthening critical mineral supply chains, artificial intelligence (AI), maritime security and digital infrastructure. The Quad's focus is thus no longer limited to maritime security but has shifted to economic and technological security as well.

The foreign ministers of the Quad countries met in Atlanta in the United States on October 31, after which a joint statement was issued. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar of India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi attended.

The four countries reiterated their commitment to building a free and open Indo-Pacific. Concern was also expressed over economic coercion affecting global supply chains, arbitrarily imposed export restrictions and policies that distort market competition.

Under the Quad's critical minerals initiative, the four countries will focus on recovering these minerals from electronic waste and scrap. They will also cooperate with one another in setting up mineral processing centres, refineries and alternative supply chains. The United States has committed $10 million to build facilities and infrastructure in India and the ASEAN countries to recover critical minerals from waste. Demand for these minerals is rising in electric vehicles, batteries, semiconductors, electronics and defence. The initiative aims to reduce dependence on supplies from any single country.

The Quad also made an announcement in the field of artificial intelligence. To help Indo-Pacific countries get trusted AI technology, the four countries are prepared to provide more than $85 million in financial and technical assistance. This will be done through the Quad AI Accelerator, with the emphasis on the development and availability of AI technology and on cooperation in the field.

Security of sea routes and uninterrupted commercial shipping was another important subject at the meeting. The four countries stressed that merchant ship traffic should remain safe through the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. They also stated their position on preserving freedom of navigation within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Quad's second maritime observation mission, from Chennai to Perth, was carried out from September 25 to October 8 aboard an Indian Coast Guard patrol vessel. Representatives of all four countries took part. The four countries are also preparing to hold the first joint exercise under the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness initiative during the Sea Dragon exercise in 2027.

Agreement was also reached on building secure and fast undersea data cable networks for digital infrastructure. New initiatives will be launched to identify potential weak links in the supply chains for semiconductors and AI hardware. Cooperation is also planned in 5G, 6G and Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) technology.

To give economic cooperation a commercial footing, the first-ever Quad Business Leaders Forum has been announced. Representatives of industry from the four countries, government officials and policy experts will take part in the forum.

The four countries also expressed concern over the growing web of online fraud and cybercrime. The joint statement notes that people are being forced into online fraud through human trafficking. The four countries have taken the position that they will act jointly against such criminal networks.