- What is it?: QUAD, also known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or simply the Quad, is a strategic forum comprising four countries: the United States, Japan, India, and Australia.
- Aim: The Quad is aimed at promoting regional security and economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Basis of Formation: The four countries share a common interest in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, and countering China’s expanding influence in the region.
- Focus: The Quad has held several meetings at the ministerial and leaders’ level to discuss issues such as maritime security, infrastructure development, and supply chain resilience.
- Significance: The Quad is seen as a mechanism for balancing China’s influence in the region, although its members have stressed that it is not a military alliance and is open to other countries who share their values and interests.
Evolution
- 2007: The Quad was initially formed in 2007 during an informal meeting of leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It was Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who first proposed the idea of creating the Quad.
- 2012: The Japanese Prime Minister highlighted the concept of the ‘Democratic Security Diamond’ in Asia, which includes the US, Japan, India, and Australia.
- 2017: Once again confronted with the growing danger posed by China, the four nations revitalized the Quad by expanding its goals and devising a system that aimed to gradually establish an international order based on rules.
- 2020: The trilateral India-US-Japan Malabar naval exercises expanded to include Australia, marking the first official grouping of the Quad since its resurgence in 2017 and the first joint military exercises among the four countries in over a decade.
- 2021: The Quad leaders met virtually and later released a joint statement titled ‘The Spirit of the Quad’.
Functions
- Maritime Security and Freedom of Navigation: The Quad aims to ensure a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region. It promotes freedom of navigation and counters challenges to maritime security, particularly in the South and East China Seas.
- Countering Regional Influence: Formed as a response to growing Chinese influence, the Quad focuses on maintaining regional balance and supporting the sovereignty of smaller nations in the Indo-Pacific.
- Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR): The Quad coordinates disaster relief efforts, enhancing collective response capabilities and cooperation in times of natural disasters or humanitarian crises.
- Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies: The Quad works on building frameworks for secure technology use and infrastructure in areas like 5G, cybersecurity, and AI, fostering shared standards among member nations.
- Economic Cooperation and Supply Chain Resilience: The Quad supports initiatives to diversify and secure supply chains, particularly in critical sectors such as semiconductors and rare earth minerals.
- Climate Action and Clean Energy: Members collaborate on climate change initiatives, promoting clean energy technologies, emission reduction, and sustainable practices in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness: The Quad enhances health security, addressing global health challenges like COVID-19 by coordinating vaccine distribution, research, and development.
- Military and Defense Cooperation: Through joint military exercises like the Malabar Exercise, Quad members improve interoperability, joint defense capabilities, and operational coordination.
- Diplomatic Engagement: The Quad provides a forum for high-level dialogue and coordination on regional and global security challenges, reinforcing diplomatic ties and shared values among the U.S., India, Japan, and Australia.
- Infrastructure Development: The Quad partners on infrastructure projects to offer alternative development financing options to countries in the Indo-Pacific, countering other regional investment initiatives.