The Quad, short for Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, formed in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, but the alliance only took off after meeting again in November 2017. This started a series of regular meetings focusing on everything , from ensuring the development of quality infrastructure by increasing collective maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.
The Biden administration brought together Quad leaders 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 will also make it the centerpiece of the United States’ Indo-Pacific strategy. .
The holding of a Quad meeting at the level of leaders seemed immeasurable, given China’s protests that the alliance would focus on containing the rising superpower. The Covid-19 pandemic, combined with China’s aggressive behavior in recent years, highlighted the need for powerful democracies to work together to protect the health of their people and the prosperity of their economies, along with the rule-based order that governed the country. Going Pacific and beyond in the past few decades.
China’s recent clashes with India and Australia have reinforced the Quad’s benefits. In early May 2020, it was evident that China had taken military positions in several different locations along its disputed border with India. Two disputes broke out between Indian and Chinese forces, and on June 15, a major clash between troops in the Galwan River valley resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese forces. After years of heightened tensions between Australia and China, Australia’s call for an investigation into the origins of Covid-19 has led China to suspend imports from four of Australia’s largest meat processors and impose import tariffs on the Australian barley. A stronger Quad could have prevented 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 essential supplies, such as medical equipment. As a result, Quad countries considered how they could work together to build alternative global supply chains that bypass China. Australia, Japan and India announced the trilateral supply chain resilience initiative last fall. The identification of alternative supply chains for pharmaceuticals and essential minerals was also a topic of discussion at Quad.
One of the main initiatives at Friday’s meeting is a plan for the United States, Japan and Australia to invest in India’s ability to manufacture more Covid-19 vaccines. India already manufactures 60% of all vaccines sold in the world and the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, has the capacity to produce 2.4 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine per day. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech has developed its own Covid-19 vaccine, which India approved for emergency use this year.
Maritime security
While the Quad provides a good forum for coordinating policies related to health security and post-pandemic economic recovery, maritime security in the Indo-Pacific is perhaps the most pressing issue facing the Quad’s four countries.
The four countries want to ensure that the Indo-Pacific seaways remain open to unimpeded trade and to prevent provocative Chinese naval activity in the southern and eastern seas of China. To maintain this freedom of navigation and prevent maritime invasions and intimidation, Quadruple countries must pool their resources and expand the exchange of information and data to improve maritime surveillance. Australia participated in the annual Malabar Indian naval exercise last fall – which also included the United States and Japan – for the first time in 13 years, marking a major step forward in maritime security cooperation in all four countries.
Quad growth
The Quad does not have to remain an exclusive grouping. It is important to bring South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and others to the Quad discussions, issue by issue. Last spring, former Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun held several biweekly meetings at Covid-19, attended by Quad country officials, along with South Korea, Vietnam and New Zealand.
The Biden government is right to strengthen the Quad as a way to help address the challenges associated with China’s rise and to strengthen its own ability to compete effectively when it comes to economic growth, diplomatic influence or military power. This multilateral cooperation is also necessary to address the challenges to 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 collectively, synchronizing their individual efforts and pooling resources to maintain peace and stability in the region.