Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday conducted separate bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the US and Australia. He is scheduled to meet Japanese Defence Minister Shinjirō Koizumi, which would complete a round of meetings with Defence Ministers of all four partners of the Quad.The initial statements after the US and Australia meetings have referred on the need for ‘free, open and secure Indo-Pacific’. In strategic circles, the phrase ‘free, open and secure Indo-Pacific’ is euphemism for opposing Chinese hegemony and attempts to impede maritime traffic.Singh is at Cebu, Philippines, for two days (Oct 28-29) and the meetings with Quad partners are on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM-plus).The Ministry of Defence posted on X about Rajnath’s meeting with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. “The two leaders reviewed progress under the 10-year India-US Defence Framework, focusing on military technology, information sharing and co-production.”“The robust India-US defence partnership remains a key pillar of a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific,” it said.Hegseth also posted on X saying: “Great meeting with Indian Minister of Defence Singh. We celebrated the one-year anniversary of the framework for our major defence partnership and explored ways to strengthen cooperation.”Meanwhile, Rajnath Singh posted on X details of his meeting with Australia’s Deputy PM and Defence Minister, Richard Marles. “We had productive discussions on reviewing our bilateral defence cooperation, enhancing military interoperability and addressing regional security challenges.”“India places great value on its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia for a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific,” he said.Sources in the national capital said that Rajnath was scheduled to meet his Japanese counterpart. He will also meet Defence Ministers of Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore and Philippines.Rajnath Singh is leading the Indian delegation at the ADMM-plus where he will address the forum on ‘Exchange of Views on Regional and International Security Issues’, the Ministry of Defence had said in an earlier statement.The ADMM is the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism in ASEAN. ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN member states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam) and its eight Dialogue Partners (India, US, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand) to strengthen security and defence cooperation.India became the dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992 and the inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi, Vietnam, on October 12, 2010. Since 2017, ADMM-Plus Ministers have been meeting annually to bolster defence cooperation amongst ASEAN and the Plus countries.The Philippines is the chair of ADMM-Plus for 2026. Under the construct of ADMM-Plus, India is co-chairing the Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the cycle 2024-2027. India’s active participation in the ADMM-Plus mechanisms underscores the deepening defence diplomacy in Southeast Asia under the Act East policy, aimed at ensuring peace, stability and collective growth in the region.