US State Dept slams report claiming Trump admin ignoring QUAD, says Manila meet will formalise leaders summit

Washington: US Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson has strongly rebutted a recent media report from Politico claiming that the Quad alliance between the United States, India, Australia and Japan is faltering under President Donald Trump's administration.

Addressing the claims on social media, Johnson wrote in a post on X, "This is an utterly ridiculous take. @SecRubio has formally met with the Quad foreign ministers five times in the past two years - with three meetings in the past six months. The Secretary's first official call in office was to the Quad. We have regular monthly Quad sherpa calls and meetings. And we are working to formalize a Quad Leaders Summit at ASEAN next week. Fake News!"

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The rebuttal was issued in response to a November 14, 2026, Politico report alleging that the Trump administration's policy approach and perceived lack of engagement had left the strategic grouping "on life support."

Building directly upon ongoing regional preparations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Manila for the ASEAN meetings and the East Asia Summit (EAS), scheduled from November 16 to 18 and hosted this year by the Philippines, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday.

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Addressing a special briefing, the MEA stated that officials would not confirm whether PM Modi would meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines or whether the Quad leaders would meet.

"This is a programme that is quickly being developed and we don't have information as of now about it, except that the PM is attending the ASEAN meet in the Philippines," Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon noted.

Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the four Quad countries had agreed to hold the summit in Manila. He emphasised that it would deliver "concrete actions" rather than serve as a social gathering.

A meeting between PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in Manila would represent their inaugural encounter following the Republican Party's setbacks in the US midterm elections earlier in the month. Furthermore, the discussion would take place amidst an ongoing, unsigned India-US trade deal.

The two leaders last met at the G7 summit in France and spoke on the phone in September. Additional interactions are anticipated when PM Modi travels to Florida for the G20 Summit in mid-December.

According to the Philippine government, a minimum of 19 leaders representing sovereign nations and international organisations are scheduled to participate in the Manila summit. Among the high-profile attendees are Chinese Premier Li Qiang, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Elucidating India's diplomatic strategy, Tandon characterised broader diplomatic engagement with the ASEAN collective, currently an 11-member bloc, as a cornerstone of India's Act East policy. "We strongly believe that, as an Indian Ocean country that abuts this very important Southeast Asian maritime zone, a strong strategic relationship with the ASEAN member states, as a collective as well as individually, is good for both of us," he added.

Bilateral commerce between India and the regional bloc stands valued at approximately USD 122 billion. Consequently, New Delhi has actively pursued a comprehensive review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) to address persistent trade deficits.

Tandon explained that the review process requires extended time due to the complex multilateral negotiations involving multiple participating nations. Nevertheless, bilateral trade facilitation measures are being pursued independently.

Regarding maritime security in the South China Sea, the MEA reaffirmed that any prospective ASEAN-China Code of Conduct must fully align with international maritime law, specifically citing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Regional diplomatic channels have signalled that ongoing negotiations are likely to overrun the projected end-2026 deadline.

In 2022, Manila made history by becoming India's first foreign customer for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, securing a USD 375-million contract for the procurement of three shore-based anti-ship batteries.

In remarks delivered during a think-tank dialogue in the capital last week, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. indicated that his government aspires to acquire more units. He revealed that Manila had submitted a formal wish list to Indian counterparts aimed at tailoring the defence system to local geographic terrain and operating conditions.

Addressing the political crisis in Myanmar, whose military administration remains barred from high-level ASEAN meetings, Tandon asserted that diplomatic isolation remains "not the right approach". Pointing out that India shares a 1,643-kilometre land frontier with Myanmar, alongside major infrastructure ventures such as the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, officials confirmed that Myanmar will maintain representation in Manila via a Foreign Ministry official.