All about the 4-nation Quad

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The 4-nation Quad meeting on Tuesday is the first for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who took office in October, as well as Australia's new Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. On Monday, he was sworn in, two days after Australia's parliamentary election and one day before the summit.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also attending as his government's crackdown on minorities and some authoritarian tendencies come under increasing international scrutiny. 

While the other members of the Quad have been united in their opposition to the war in Ukraine, particularly through sanctions, India increased its purchases of Russian energy supplies despite US pressure. 

Furthermore, the war in Ukraine has resulted in food shortages, which are causing price increases, but India has banned wheat exports following a heat wave, which could make resolving this global challenge even more difficult.

What do you need to know?

The Quad, formally known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, began as a loose partnership following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, when the four countries banded together to provide humanitarian and disaster assistance to the affected region. 

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe established it in 2007, but it remained dormant for nearly a decade, owing to Australian concerns that membership in the group would irritate China.

Read more: Solomon Islands PM criticizes Australia over AUKUS

 

The group was resurrected in 2017, reflecting shifting regional attitudes toward China's growing influence. Both the Trump and Biden administrations saw the Quad as critical to refocusing attention on the Indo-Pacific region, particularly as a counterweight to China's assertive actions. The Quad leaders met virtually in March after their first formal summit in 2021.

“Asian Nato” or not 

China has complained that the group is an attempt to form an "Asian NATO", despite the fact that, unlike the European alliance, there is no mutual-defense pact in place. 

Members of the Quad claim that the group is intended to strengthen economic, diplomatic, and military ties between the four countries. 

"We bring diverse perspectives and are united in a shared vision for the free and open Indo-Pacific," the leaders said in a March 2021 declaration outlining the "Spirit of the Quad." We strive for a region that is free, open, inclusive, and healthy, based on democratic values, and free of coercion."

New members?

South Korea has expressed interest in joining the Quad, but US officials have stated that they do not intend to change the group's membership. 

However, the group has held "Quad-plus" meetings with South Korea, New Zealand, and Vietnam, which could serve as the foundation for future regional expansion or partnership.

Quad or AUKUS 

Diplomats are powerless to stop themselves. They can't stop assigning shorthand names like the Quad or perplexing acronyms like AUKUS once they start different pairings or partnerships (the new Australia- UK-US alliance.) 

Another acronym that gained traction this week while President Joe Biden was in Asia was IPEF, which stands for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a new trade agreement proposed by the United States.