​​​​​​ISTANBUL

Newly-appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized unity for peace and stability in the wider Asia-Pacific region during his inaugural meeting with counterparts from the Quad group, according to Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.

Rubio began his duties Tuesday by holding his first foreign ministerial meeting with the so-called grouping of the four nations including Japan, the US, India and Australia -- the day he was sworn in.

"I was very impressed that his (Marco Rubio) explanation of the framework did not mention China by name and antagonize it," Iwaya told Nikkei Asia outlet in an interview released Thursday.

Rubio is a known China hawk, once calling the world's second-largest economy "the most potent, dangerous and near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted."

China sanctioned top US Republicans in 2020, including Rubio, after Washington imposed sanctions on Chinese officials for alleged human rights abuses in its northwestern Xinjiang province as well as in Hong Kong.

China, however, has signaled openness to engage with Rubio, saying it was necessary "for high-level officials Chinese and American officials to maintain contact in an appropriate way."

During the Quad meeting, Iwaya said Rubio made it clear that the US would work to maintain deterrence in the region. Quad was formed in 2007.

Rubio said at the meeting that how to deal with China is a "major issue in the region, but that the group was not formed to make any specific country into an enemy," according to the Japanese foreign minister.

Iwaya became the first Japanese foreign minister to attend the inauguration of a US president as Donald Trump returned to the White House for a non-consecutive second term.​​​​​​​