Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to join the leaders of the US, Japan and Australia at the Quad summit 2024 in the US later this month. The summit is likely to take place on September 21 in US President Joe Biden’s hometown of Wilmington in Delaware. Previously it was plan for India to host the submit but now India will host QUAD in 2025. This Quad summit is likely to focus on boosting cooperation among the member nations in the Indo-Pacific besides delving into various key challenges facing the globe including the conflict in Ukraine.
The QUAD, known as the ‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’ (QSD), is an informal strategic forum of a diplomatic partnership between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States committed to supporting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient. Quad countries are home to a combined 1.9 billion people or 24% of the world’s population and represent 35% of the world’s GDP and 18% of global trade.
The Quad’s origins date back to our collaboration in response to the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Quad partners engage regularly through Leaders, Foreign Ministers, Quad Sherpas, senior officials, and experts.
In July 2024, the foreign ministers of the Quad member nations held wide-ranging talks in Tokyo with a focus on boosting overall cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. In a loud and clear message to China, the Quad foreign ministerial meeting reaffirmed the grouping’s steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and resolved to work towards a region where no country dominates others and each state is free from “coercion” in all its forms. The foreign ministers also announced a plan to expand its ambitious Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) programme to the Indian Ocean region that would facilitate monitoring the strategic waters.
Quad is important for India as due to its geographical location towards maintaining maritime security and ensuring freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific. It serves as a strategic counterbalance to China’s growing influence in the region. For India its participation in the Quad enhances economic cooperation, trade, and investment opportunities among the member countries.
By Praver Tripathi (DD India)