Quad nations consisting of the United States, India, Australia and Japan are stepping up action against growing Chinese aggression and are all set to meet to discuss areas like maritime security and critical and emerging technologies on September 23.
With the United States hosting the Quad leaders— Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan will be present for the fourth in-person Quad Summit.
The summit will be special this year as it is supposed to take place in Delaware, Biden’s hometown. This is as Biden wants to showcase the importance of his ties with Quad leaders.
White House National Secretary John Kirby reiterated on September 18 that, “We believe that you’ll see coming out of this summit that the Quad is more strategically aligned and more relevant than ever before.” Kirby further said that Biden has made it a priority to invest in rebuilding America’s network of alliances and partnerships across the Indo-Pacific.
Even more significance is attached to the Quad Summit as this will be Biden’s farewell summit as he will be holding bilateral meetings with all leaders separately. The meeting is also critical for India as it will be hosting the next Summit.
Mira Rapp-Hooper, White House National Security Council Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania said on September 20, “This year’s Quad Summit will feature ambitious announcements in the areas in which the Quad has grown and is used to working and where Indo-Pacific partners prioritise the Quad’s delivery.’
But what’s on the agenda?
The talking points are expected to surround areas like maritime security, high-quality infrastructure, critical and emerging technologies, climate and clean energy, cyber security and health security, and humanitarian and disaster response.
The White House said that China will be ‘high’ on the agenda as the leaders will discuss challenges that still exist in the Indo-Pacific region, caused by aggressive PRC military action, for instance, unfair trade practices, and tensions over the Taiwan Strait.
India along with other Quad nations are expected to make ambitious announcements on rising tensions between China and its neighbors in the South China Sea, along with expanded cooperation among the member-states and the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
Quad, which is a coalition of like-minded nations will be coordinating actions to formulate a maritime security architecture in the Indo-Pacific in the face of Chinese maritime bullying.
