India, Jan. 27 -- The Quad foreign ministers met shortly after Donald Trump took office at the White House. This ministerial meeting was also the first engagement of the United States (US)' new secretary of state, Marco Rubio. While speculations were rife about the future of Quad after Trump won the polls earlier last year, the prompt meeting of Quad foreign ministers suggests the grouping is likely to remain a key priority for Trump.

While much of Quad's systematic functioning began during Joe Biden's tenure, Trump also shares credit for the revival of the grouping. Quad began as a group of four countries cooperating to assist humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of the 2002 tsunami in the Indian Ocean bu...