Rubio hosted a meeting of the China-focused Quad grouping in his first diplomatic engagement as secretary of state on Jan 21, the day after President Donald Trump began his second term.

“This summit builds on that momentum to advance a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific,” state department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott told a regular news briefing. “This is what American leadership looks like, strength, peace and prosperity.”

In January, the Quad ministers recommitted to working together and said officials would meet regularly to prepare for an upcoming leaders’ summit in India, expected later this year.

The four countries share concerns about China’s growing power and analysts said the January meeting was designed to signal that countering Beijing was a top priority for Trump.

However, Trump has since been distracted by wars in the Middle East and unsuccessful efforts to end the war in Ukraine, while relations with Quad partners have been disrupted by his global tariff offensive, from which none of the members have been spared.

This week the prime ministers of Japan and Australia and other US Indo-Pacific countries did not attend the Nato summit in Europe, raising questions about future regional cooperation.

Last week the Financial Times said Japan had cancelled an annual ministerial meeting with the US state and defence departments on July 1 after Washington called on Tokyo to boost defence spending further than previously requested.

The FT said a demand was made by Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior Pentagon official, who has also recently upset Australia by launching a review of a massive project to provide it with nuclear-powered submarines.