Policy Update
Ishita Deb
QUAD, also known as the ‘Quadrilateral Strategic Forum’ is an informal strategic forum which aims for an open, free, prosperous and more inclusive Indo-Pacific region. It comprises four democratic countries and market economies, namely India, USA, Japan and Australia. Amongst the backdrop of tumultuous global uncertainties like the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas conflict and China’s aggression in the West Pacific region, the latest QUAD meeting was held in Tokyo, Japan on 29 July 2024 with a hope to be a stabilising factor in an uncertain global situation. The QUAD meeting was attended by prominent diplomats, including India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken, and Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
The Origins of QUAD
After the Tsunami in the Indian Ocean (2004), the QUAD was initiated by Shinzo Abe, the then foreign minister of Japan in 2007 with an aim to strengthen the interests and cooperations among this region. After the initial withdrawal of Australia due to Chinese pressure, the group was officially revived in 2017.
Source: https://au.usembassy.gov/joint-readout-of-the-quad-foreign-ministers-meeting-in-new-york/
Strategic Agreements and Outcomes of the QUAD Meeting
All of the member states were united in their concern regarding the militarization of the East and South China Sea by China, they backed up the Philippines and strongly opposed the unilateral action to transform the status quo. The major agenda of the group has broadened over several years being based upon upholding the international cooperation based on the rule of law and principles of the UN charter. They endorsed the functioning and achievements of other regional groups like ASEAN, the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
With support to PIF and their 2050 agenda of Blue Pacific Continent, they aim to strengthen regional stability, sustainable development, and collaborative efforts in addressing global challenges. The members condemned terrorism and terrorist groups like Al-Qaida, ISIS Daesh, Lashkare Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and raised concerns about the current situation in Gaza, Myanmar, North Korea etc.
In an effort to bolster stability and security, as well as to protect the climate and fisheries, the QUAD resolved in Tokyo 2022 to integrate the Pacific Island, Southeast Asia, and Indian Ocean regions to detect vessels that have disabled their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). Expanding their focus on maritime awareness, they extended the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) to include the Indian Ocean and operationalized the South Asia program in collaboration with India’s Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram, India.
When it comes to technology and cybersecurity, they conducted a ‘QUAD Cyber Challenge’ in February 2023 to raise cyber awareness and promote ethical and good cybersecurity habits. There was an emphasis on making the AI research and semiconductor supply chain more resilient. Moreover, other contributions made were building cybersecurity capacity in the Philippines, conducting Quad Cyber Bootcamp in India and progress being made in promoting technology in the agriculture sector to increase yields and resistance of crops by signing a Memorandum of Cooperation among the member nations.
The Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre in Australia intends to train over 1000 telecom officials and executives and has provided over 720 fellowships since it was initiated. The joint statement by the diplomats also stated upholding the outer space treaty and adhering to the commitment of not placing any object carrying nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction in the orbit of Earth. Apart from this, there has been a focus on exploring bio-manufacturing technologies to enhance the new industrial revolution.
The QUAD also finalised Quad Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to promote immediate, effective and coordinated response to natural disasters in this region. They extended relief efforts in Papua New Guinea by sending aid of approximately $5 million after the landslides in May 2024. There has been a major focus on enhancing cooperation with partner governments and community-led responses to such disasters.
The global view right now is tilted towards finding impactful solutions to the emerging debt crisis issues of nations and this was a topic discussed in this year’s meeting as well where they emphasised working on sustainable, transparent and fair lending and financing practices. Talking about climate sustainability, the Q-CHAMP Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package was launched to focus majorly on two fronts, climate and clean energy cooperation along with supporting the immediate and long-term needs of the Pacific Island countries.
Practical Achievements and Expanding Agenda of the QUAD
In the past few years QUAD has led to some practical deliverables, for instance, the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, the sharing of satellite information for disaster management and the provision of STEM scholarships and infrastructure fellowships.
S. Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister has said in the Quad 2024 press conference, “This is not a talk shop, but a platform which generates practical outcomes.’ He emphasised the need to resource the Quad better and how this is deeply embedded in the foreign policy of India. He said, “Progress on one front enhances the other” and how this has led to the expansive agenda of Quad over the years ranging from cybersecurity, trusted telecom technology, undersea cable connectivity, counter-terrorism, STEM education opportunities, humanitarian relief, disaster relief and much more.
Navigating Obstacles: Challenges and Future Directions for the QUAD
Some of the challenges that Quad faces are balancing the agenda with G20 and G7 nations and China’s opposition to the group labelling it a ‘headline-grabbing idea’.There emerge several challenges when the QUAD tries to strike strategic agreements within the member states and balance the individual interests of the member states. A recent example is the concerns over the Russian Oil Imports, where India saw an increase in the Oil Imports at a time when the QUAD forum was against it and a considerable amount of Western Sanctions were also in place.
The recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Moscow has also flagged concerns. Additionally, India backed off from the freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea claiming it does not have enough funds for this operation. However, the recent joint statement and press conference of the Quad Foreign Minister Meet, 2024 revealed to the world the strengthening relations between other member states of Quad and India.
Then there is a division of opinions on whether to consider Quad as a formal or an informal group. One of the major reasons for Quad to come into existence is to act as an alternative to China in this region. So, if we see Quad as a counterbalance to China, we can call it a formal group.
However, if we consider Quad as a synergy of like-minded nations who want to promote international cooperation on several issues, then we call it an informal group. Quad only focus on non-conventional security agendas like cybersecurity, health security etc rather than conventional security agendas. This has also been one factor of criticism that there is less emphasis on security cooperation and the Taiwan Strait.
The way forward from here would be to align the agendas with larger multilateral forums and make the agendas more inclusive for the other developing nations in the region so as to counter the claims made by China. Capacity building for digital infrastructure and cybersecurity should be prioritized while aligning these standards among all member states. Quad has established open radio access to countries like Palao.
After the meeting, the USA decided to revamp the military command in Japan given the current security needs and environment. Moreover, India is expected to nudge Moscow and Kyiv to negotiations, however, India also has to strike the right balance to manage the ties with the West and Russia. India is set to hold the Quad Leaders Summit later in 2024 while the USA will be conducting the Quad Foreign Meet 2025.
In conclusion, QUAD has made its agenda way more broad. The tangible outcomes have underscored the efficacy of collaboration between like-minded nations. It is proof that when like-minded countries collaborate on an international platform, it can lead to positive outcomes. The upcoming meetings among the member states who are key players on a global level will surely prove to be a testament to the potential of international cooperation to foster peace, growth and security.
References:
- MEA, 2024, Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Joint Statement, MEA – Bilateral Documents (https://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/38044/Quad+Foreign+Ministers+Meeting+Joint+Statement#:~:text=(1) We, the Foreign, order for the global good.)
- Drishti IAS, 2024, Perspective: Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting, Drishti IAS – Lok Sabha Rajya Sabha Discussions (https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/perspective-quad-foreign-ministers-meeting)
- CSIS, 2024, Outcomes of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, CSIS Analysis (https://www.csis.org/analysis/outcomes-quad-foreign-ministers-meeting)
- Economic Times, 2024, This is not a talk shop, but…: EAM Jaishankar at Quad Foreign Ministers Meet in Tokyo, Economic Times – News India ( https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/this-is-not-a-talk-shop-but-eam-jaishankar-at-quad-foreign-ministers-meet-in-tokyo/videoshow/112104745.cms?from=mdr )
- YouTube, 2024, Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meet in Tokyo, YouTube Video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvZHL-OsZdY)
- ORF, 2024, Continuing Salience of the Quad, ORF – Expert Speak ( https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/continuing-salience-of-the-quad )
- Hindustan Times, 2024, America remains Asia’s military exercise partner of choice, Hindustan Times – World News ( https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/america-remains-asia-s-military-exercise-partner-of-choice-101722716513044.html )
- Reuters, 2024, Quad Foreign Ministers meet in Tokyo, talks on maritime security, cyber, Reuters – Asia Pacific ( https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/quad-foreign-ministers-meet-tokyo-talks-maritime-security-cyber-2024-07-29/ )
- YouTube, 2024, Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Highlights, YouTube Video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmZvb2VWf_0)
About the Contributor– Ishita Deb is a research intern at IMPRI. She’s currently pursuing her MA in economics from Boston University, USA. She completed her BA in economics from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University. Her areas of research interest include macroeconomics and international economics.
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