Leaders of Quad nations to convene in PH in November on sidelines of ASEAN Summit

ISTANBUL – Leaders of the four Quad nations will convene next month on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday.

“It’s been agreement now that we’re going to do it; we’re going to do it in Manila, at the ASEAN conference,” Rubio told Indian broadcaster CNN-News18.

He said there was no specific date yet, “but that’s going to happen, and we’re very enthusiastic about it.” The 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit is scheduled for Nov. 16-18 in Manila.

Rubio said the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, comprising the US, Australia, India and Japan, was gaining momentum, adding that the upcoming meeting would go beyond a standard diplomatic encounter.

He emphasized that the gathering aims to deliver substantive results, noting that member states intend to announce “concrete actions, not just simply a nice social gathering, but something that has concrete deliverables.”

The planned gathering will mark the first leaders’ summit of the diplomatic partnership since September 2024. India originally held the rotation to host the dialogue, but scheduling challenges delayed the meeting.

US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Manila and Shenzhen in November, attending ASEAN-related meetings in the Philippines before traveling to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting on Nov. 18-19, where he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.