Dr. Ram Singh is Professor and Head (Training and Management Development Programmes) at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi. He has authored three textbooks on export-import management and trade logistics. He is also actively involved in training probationers of the Indian Trade Service (ITS) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

The Indo-Pacific Politics spoke with Dr. Singh following the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which concluded in Washington on May 26 , 2026, to discuss initiatives related to strategic infrastructure, maritime and energy security, critical mineral supply chains, and emerging technologies. The conversation also explored the evolving agenda of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), which brings together Australia, India, Japan, and the United States.

The Indo-Pacific Politics: The QUAD Foreign Minister’s meeting on May 26 announced collaboration for the development of a new port in Fiji. What according to you is the relevance of this new port? 

Dr. Ram Singh: There are many perspectives to building a port in Fiji, first and foremost, this demonstrates the Quad’s broader strategic shift from a primarily security-oriented grouping toward an integrated geo-economic coalition combining ports, critical minerals, maritime surveillance, and energy security, as port is an essentially node for all others. 

Secondly, it completes the ‘tentacles of shared prosperity’ needed for such coordination. Illustratively, India is building a multipurpose port at Galathea bay (Nicobar Islands) facing exit and entry chokepoint in strait of Malacca. Japan already has similar dual use facilities in Kitakyushu-Sabebo (Nagasaki prefecture) in Tsushima strait, the US holds multiple bases with specific presence in Guam, and the only missing tentacles is in the Australian zone of influence and is plugged by having a port in Fiji.  With this all maritime chokepoints are duly addressed. 

Thirdly, the Quad decision to jointly develop a port in Fiji marks the grouping’s transition from a consultative security dialogue into a provider of tangible regional public goods. Unlike earlier declaratory Indo-Pacific strategies, May 26, 2026, New Delhi Foreign Ministers’ Meeting operationalized infrastructure cooperation on the ground. 

Fourth, the Fiji port initiative strategically expands Quad presence in the Pacific Islands, a region increasingly witnessing geopolitical contestation and infrastructure diplomacy. By investing in port capacity and connectivity, the Quad aims to offer an alternative development partnership model centered on transparency, resilience, and local capacity building.

Lastly, the project strengthens maritime logistics and supply-chain resilience across the Indo-Pacific at a time when chokepoints, geopolitical tensions, and disruptions in West Asia are exposing vulnerabilities in global shipping networks. The Fiji port can emerge as a critical node for humanitarian logistics, disaster relief, trade facilitation, and maritime domain coordination.

The Indo-Pacific Politics: How do you think the nations in the QUAD group can together address the challenges posed by critical minerals supply chains and threats to energy security? 

Dr. Ram Singh: This is perhaps the most difficult strategic task before the Quad, as critical mineral sovereignty is becoming essential not merely for economic survivability, but also for long-term geostrategic maneuverability. Despite repeated Quad consultations on critical minerals and energy security, the grouping still suffers from limited strategic trust, uneven coordination, and increasingly inward-looking economic policies, as each member prioritises its own “nation-first” industrial agenda. Abrupt policy remarks, export controls, subsidy races, and differing developmental trajectories often dilute long-term institutional coherence. 

This remains paradoxical because the Quad collectively possesses nearly all ingredients required for a resilient mineral and technology ecosystem—Australia with vast mineral resources, Japan with financial depth and industrial coordination capabilities, United States with cutting-edge technologies and semiconductor leadership, and India with a scalable market, manufacturing potential, and competitive labour base. Yet, converting these complementarities into an integrated strategic architecture remains difficult amid regulatory fragmentation, commercial competition, domestic political pressures, and concerns over dependency, technology transfer, and supply-chain control.

The Indo-Pacific Politics: Why is QUAD important in 2026 and what kind of fresh energy is needed in this Indo-pacific alliance? What are the challenges to it? 

Dr. Ram Singh: The Quad has become extremely important in 2026 because the Indo-Pacific today is not merely a maritime geography, but the centre of global trade, critical minerals, semiconductor supply chains, digital infrastructure, energy routes, and strategic competition. Amid rising geopolitical uncertainty, sanctions, maritime tensions, and supply-chain disruptions, the Quad provides a balancing framework to safeguard freedom of navigation, secure critical ocean infrastructure, strengthen supply-chain resilience, and maintain a rules-based Indo-Pacific order.

However, the fresh energy required in the Quad is not military posturing alone, but the generation of deeper strategic trust among members. The grouping must respect strategic autonomy and build partnerships based on shared values, interoperability, technological cooperation, and institutional coordination, rather than expecting subservient alliances with automatic policy alignment. Although the Quad nations are economically, culturally, and politically distinct, they broadly share similar strategic objectives relating to maritime security, resilient infrastructure, trusted technologies, critical mineral security, and stable trade flows.

The challenge, however, lies in translating shared concerns into coordinated long-term action. Domestic political shifts, inward-looking industrial policies, abrupt strategic remarks, differing threat perceptions, regulatory fragmentation, and economic dependence on China continue to create friction within the grouping. The Quad therefore has to think beyond security and evolve into a deeper economic and technological alliance. Collectively, the grouping can create enormous opportunities through integrated markets/ FTA, critical mineral partnerships, semiconductor value chains, clean-energy cooperation, trusted digital infrastructure, maritime connectivity, defence manufacturing, resilient supply chains, and coordinated investments across the Indo-Pacific. 

The Indo-Pacific Politics: Is there anything else that you want to share on this topic with our readers? 

Dr. Ram Singh: The Quad must emerge not merely as a military balancing coalition, but as a credible alternative economic and strategic model for the Indo-Pacific region. It should maintain consistent security dialogue, avoid abrupt strategic signalling, and focus on long-term cooperation. Simultaneously, the Quad should engage ASEAN and other regional partners not necessarily as formal members of Quad, but as integral facilitators and stakeholders in a broader Indo-Pacific framework.

More importantly, the Quad must collectively counter coercive influence, economic dependency, militarised territorial assertions, and strategic vulnerabilities in the region through transparent partnerships and trusted infrastructure delivery. The grouping should uphold freedom of navigation, peaceful dispute resolution, and the principle that any territorial or geopolitical change must occur peacefully, lawfully, and in accordance with the wishes and democratic aspirations of the people concerned. These principles remain central to the shared democratic values and rules-based vision of Quad members.

QUAD Interviews is a series of conversations between journalist, Venus Upadhayaya and experts in the Indo-Pacific domain on topics of relevance to the geopolitics of the region. Pitch to venusupad@gmail.com

Venus’ other related work:

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• Rubio Emphasizes India-US Strategic Ties Ahead of QUAD Meeting
• India, Japan Deepen Economic Security Ties With Focus on Semiconductors, Critical Minerals