Rubio Will Meet With Peers From India, Japan, Australia After Expected Confirmation, Officials Say

The Trump administration would begin formal international engagements this week when Marco Rubio - expected to be confirmed soon as secretary of state - meets with the foreign ministers of India, Japan and Australia, U.S. officials say.

The so-called Quad grouping is a main component of the U.S. strategy to blunt increasing Chinese influence and aggression in the Indo-Pacific, an initiative that Trump had championed during his first term in office but was elevated to the leaders' level by outgoing President Joe Biden .

Rubio is expected to be confirmed by the Senate to the post of America's top diplomat on Monday, just hours after President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in for his second term .

Rubio's meetings, together and separately, on Tuesday with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi, will be his first as secretary of state, the current and incoming officials said. The three ministers will all be attending Trump's inauguration.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Rubio has not yet been confirmed as secretary of state.