The Quad, an abbreviation for Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, originated in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, but the alliance did not start when it reunited in November 2017. It began with a series of regular meetings focusing on everything from ensuring quality infrastructure development to promoting collective maritime safety in the Indo-Pacific.
The Biden administration brought the Quad leaders together for the first time on Friday in a remarkable demonstration that it will not only build on the momentum the alliance has gained over the past three years, but it will also be the center of the American Indo -S Pacific strategy will make. .
Holding a fourth meeting at leader level once seemed unfathomable, given China’s claims that the alliance is focusing on containing the rising superpower. The Covid-19 pandemic, combined with China’s aggressive behavior over the past few years, emphasized the need for powerful democracies to work together to protect the health of their populations and the prosperity of their economies, along with the rule-based order that the Indian government rules. Pacific and beyond in recent decades.
China’s recent clashes with India and Australia have bolstered the benefits of the Quad. By early May 2020, it was clear that China had taken military positions at various locations along its controversial border with India. Two disputes broke out between the Indian and Chinese troops, and on June 15, a major confrontation between troops in the Galwan River Valley resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops. After years of faltering tensions between Australia and China, Australia’s call to investigate the origins of Covid-19 has prompted China to suspend imports from four of Australia’s largest meat processors and impose import duties on Australian barley. A stronger Quad might have deterred China from such hostile military and economic behavior.
Focus on pandemic recovery
The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the dangers of relying solely on Chinese manufacturing for critical supplies such as medical equipment. Consequently, the Quad countries considered how they could work together to build alternative global supply chains that bypass China. Australia, Japan and India announced last autumn the trilateral initiative to provide resilience. The identification of alternative supply chains for pharmaceutical and critical minerals was also a topic of the Quad.
One of the key initiatives of Friday’s meeting is a plan for the United States, Japan and Australia to invest in India’s ability to produce more Covid-19 vaccines. India already produces 60% of all vaccines sold worldwide, and the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, has the capacity to produce 2.4 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine per day. Meanwhile, drug company Bharat Biotech has developed its own homemade Covid-19 vaccine that India has approved for emergency use this year.
Maritime safety
While the Quad is a good forum for coordinating health security and economic recovery policies after the pandemic, maritime safety in the Indo-Pacific is perhaps the most pressing issue facing the four Quad countries.
The four countries want to ensure that Indo-Pacific oceans remain open to unrestricted trade and deter challenging Chinese naval activity in the South and East China Seas. To maintain this freedom of navigation and avoid maritime intrusions and intimidation, the Quad countries need to pool their resources and expand information and data exchange to improve maritime surveillance. Australia participated in Malabar’s annual Indian naval exercise, which also included the United States and Japan, for the first time in 13 years. It was an important step forward in maritime safety cooperation in all four countries.
Growth of the quadruplet
The Quad does not have to be an exclusive grouping. There is value in bringing South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and others into Quad discussions on an issue-by-issue basis. Last spring, former Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun held several bi-weekly meetings on Covid-19, which were attended by officials from the Quad countries along with South Korea, Vietnam and New Zealand.
The Biden administration has rightly strengthened the Quad as a way to address the challenges posed by an emerging China and its own ability to compete effectively when it comes to economic growth, diplomatic influence or military power. This multilateral cooperation is also needed to meet the challenges of health, prosperity, peace and regional stability as China advances its military and technological capabilities. Countries interested in protecting the free and open Indo-Pacific order will need to act together, synchronize their individual efforts and pool resources to maintain peace and stability in the region.