Beijing faces complex calculus amid US policy contrasts
Beijing is said to face complex double-edged calculus amid contrasting approaches of American president and Washington establishment
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Cao Jiaxuanin Beijing
Published: 7:30pm, 4 Jun 2026Updated: 7:41pm, 4 Jun 2026
Soon after Donald Trump concluded a visit to China that he hailed as a great success, America’s top diplomat joined his Indian, Japanese and Australian counterparts in New Delhi for a meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.
At the meeting on May 26, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers launched the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework, a strategic push to curb global reliance on Beijing for rare earth elements. Member states are pooling up to US$20 billion for the mechanism.
In addition, an energy security initiative was introduced to bolster regional fuel networks, alongside a pilot port infrastructure project in Fiji.
On the security front, the bloc, which was formed nearly two decades ago to counter China’s rising prominence in the Indo-Pacific, unveiled a maritime surveillance collaboration initiative to integrate the member states’ regional information sharing.
The developments came after Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping reached an agreement during the US president’s state visit in mid-May to pursue a constructive relationship of “strategic stability”.
