With US President Donald Trump expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in April, two senior American lawmakers have urged the administration to convene a Quad Leaders’ Summit beforehand, arguing that timing could be critical in shaping Washington’s negotiating position with Beijing.
“At this pivotal moment of intense strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China, convening a Quad Leaders’ Summit would send a clear signal of unity, resolve, and strategic coherence among leading Indo-Pacific democracies,” they wrote in the letter dated February 13, 2026.
Addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Senator Tim Kaine and Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts’ letter called on the Trump administration to prioritise the next summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), comprising the United States, India, Japan and Australia. They described the moment as one of “intense strategic competition” with China.
Quad summit before Trump-Xi meeting: Why are lawmakers stressing the timing?
The letter places strong emphasis on sequencing, urging that the Quad Leaders’ Summit be held before Trump’s planned meeting with Xi in April. According to the lawmakers, convening Quad leaders first would serve as a “decisive demonstration of US leadership in the Indo-Pacific” ahead of high-level engagement with Beijing.
A successful summit, they argued, would allow President Trump to approach talks with Xi “from a position of greater leverage.”
A strategic message to China?
The Quad, originally formed to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, has evolved into a platform for cooperation on maritime security, supply chain resilience, critical and emerging technologies, infrastructure and connectivity, humanitarian assistance.
The lawmakers stressed that all four Quad nations face shared challenges, including supply chain vulnerabilities, restrictions on critical minerals, technological competition, threats to freedom of navigation. The letter specifically noted that Japan has faced “increased diplomatic pressure, military intimidation and economic coercion” from China.
By convening Quad leaders before the Trump–Xi meeting, Washington would signal collective deterrence and solidarity.
How does this fit into US’ Indo-Pacific strategy?
Kaine and Ricketts pointed to recent US diplomatic and economic moves that they say have laid the groundwork for stronger Quad coordination. From expanded Australia–Japan cooperation on critical technologies and supply chains, reaffirmed AUKUS commitments, deeper extended-deterrence coordination with Japan, to a newly announced US trade deal with India, the senators argued that these developments create momentum for “revitalised collective action through the Quad.”
They also linked the Quad’s relevance to objectives outlined in President Trump’s 2025 National Security Strategy, which includes strengthening allied deterrence, reducing strategic dependencies on adversaries, safeguarding technological leadership, and upholding freedom of navigation.
Moreover, the lawmakers also requested a formal briefing on the administration’s Quad priorities by March 13, 2026, signalling congressional interest in closely tracking Indo-Pacific diplomacy.
How crucial is Quad to US-China diplomacy?
While the Quad is not a formal military alliance, it has steadily gained prominence as a strategic platform. The letter concludes by urging the administration to prioritise organising a Leaders’ Summit, followed by foreign minister and working group meetings.
“Doing so would reinforce American leadership, empower our closest partners, and ensure that future engagement with Beijing is grounded in unity, strength and strategic foresight,” the senators wrote.