The Quad, formally the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a grouping of four democracies: India, the United States, Japan and Australia. It focuses on a free, open and inclusive Indo Pacific region.
How it began
The idea of the Quad grew out of the cooperation among the four navies during relief work after the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. The first meeting of officials was held in 2007, but the grouping went quiet soon after. It was revived in November 2017 with a meeting of officials in Manila.
Rise to the leaders’ level
The Quad’s foreign ministers began meeting regularly from 2019. The first leaders’ summit was held virtually in March 2021, and the first in person summit took place in Washington in September 2021. India hosted the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in 2023 and has been due to host a leaders’ summit; timing of future summits is announced by the governments.
What the Quad does
The Quad describes itself as a force for global good and works on practical areas:
- Health: the Quad Vaccine Partnership supplied vaccines to the Indo Pacific during COVID-19, and later the Quad Cancer Moonshot was announced to fight cervical cancer.
- Maritime security: the Indo Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) helps countries monitor their waters.
- Critical and emerging technologies, including 5G, semiconductors and supply chains.
- Climate and clean energy.
- Infrastructure and connectivity.
- Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
- Quad Fellowships for students in science and technology.
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Is it a military alliance
No. The Quad has no treaty, no secretariat and no mutual defence clause. The navies of the four countries do take part in the Malabar naval exercise, which began as an India US exercise and now includes Japan and Australia, but Malabar is separate from the Quad’s formal agenda.
China’s view
China has criticised the Quad, calling it an attempt to contain it. Quad members say the grouping is not aimed at any country and supports a rules based order.
India’s approach
For India, the Quad is one of several partnerships in its foreign policy. India stresses that the Quad’s agenda is positive and practical, and India continues to maintain strategic autonomy and work with other groupings such as BRICS and the SCO.
Bottom line
The Quad brings India, the US, Japan and Australia together on health, technology, maritime awareness and disaster relief, without being a military alliance.
Source / स्रोत: Ministry of External Affairs, Press Information Bureau
