At Biden’s Last Quad, An Emphasis On Its Continuing Relevance??

India was originally supposed to host the Quad. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the venue was changed “at the request of the US”. The country will now host the next Quad meet in 2025.

Both Biden and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will bow out later this year. Hence this is in a way a farewell summit for both of them. Despite fears in certain quarters that the Quad could lose its shine if Republican Donald Trump wins the US elections, is not well founded. The Quad, after all, was first convened to counter China’s growing power in Asia. In fact, it was Donald Trump who, during his first term in office, publicly called out China and began the tit-for-tat tariff war. Biden followed Trump’s tough policy on China. The quad was revived in 2017, though the top leaders did not gather for an annual show of strength. But Foreign Ministers and officials have met regularly since then. So Modi and Biden’s assertion that the Quad will survive long into the future, as long as China is perceived as a threat, is realistic. 

However, Quad leaders refuse to publicly acknowledge that the grouping is aimed at containing China. Since 2021, as China’s aggressive tactics in the South China Sea and threats to Taiwan and other East Asian countries like the Philippines have  grown, the frequency of the Quad meetings have increased.   

Leaders at the highest level have met six times, though two were virtual summits due to Covid restrictions. The Foreign Ministers have met eight times in the last four years, the last being just this July in Tokyo. Officials across an array of departments have also met regularly and has helped institutionalise the grouping. It will survive beyond the tenure of political leaders. 

The Quad makes perfect sense for India, which has a long-standing border issue with China with PLA troops massed on its border in Ladakh and inside its territory in certain disputed areas. India-US strategic ties have taken off in a major way  because of shared concerns about China's military and economic clout, India’s territorial dispute and America’s concerns about being challenged by an assertive China for the 'world's number one' spot.

Quad, however, is not a military alliance. That makes it even better for New Delhi, which does not want to be a part of any military pact. The AUKUS—Australia, UK and US formation will take on the duty of guarding the Indo-Pacific waters. Australia is being helped by the US and UK to build nuclear powered submarines to counter the Chinese navy in the region. For India, the Quad is a win-win grouping that keeps China on its toes. It is in keeping with New Delhi’s stand of cooperating with different grouping for its self-interest. It is the only Quad member that is also a part of BRICS and the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation.

The leaders of Quad present it as a force for good. "Together we have taken many positive and inclusive initiatives in areas like health security, critical and emerging technologies, climate change, capacity building," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address. He said that the Quad leaders have gathered at a time when the world is surrounded by tensions and conflicts. "At such a time, the working together of Quad with its democratic values is significant for the entire human race," the Prime Minister said. 

"Together, the Quad is leading ambitious projects to help partners address pandemics and disease; respond to natural disasters; strengthen their maritime domain awareness and maritime security; mobilise and build high-standard physical and digital infrastructure; invest in and benefit from critical and emerging technologies; confront the threat of climate change; bolster cyber security; and cultivate the next generation of technology leaders,’’ a fact sheet released at the end of the Quad summit pointed out. 

The Quad adopted a Cancer Moonshot initiative to help detect and treat cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific. Modi announced a grant of $7.5 million  for testing, screening and diagnostics to countries in the region. "India is ready to share its experience and expertise," Modi said in his remarks, asserting that the grant was made under India's vision of 'One Earth, One Health'.

Three other important announcements were made at the end of the summit. One is the launch of a first-ever Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission in 2025. The U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard, Australian Border Force, and Indian Coast Guard, will work together to  improve interoperability and advance maritime safety, continuing with future missions across the Indo-Pacific. This will mean that the Indian Coast Guard personnel will spend time aboard US vessels to gather experience in interoperability, so that the two forces can work together in cases of natural disasters. It should be noted that it is the Coast Guard and not the Navy that is part of the scheme. 

"A Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project, to pursue shared airlift capacity among our nations and leverage our collective logistics strengths, in order to support civilian response to natural disasters more rapidly and efficiently across the Indo-Pacific region,’’ the Quad leaders announced after Saturday’s summit. 

India will host a Quad Regional Ports and Transportation Conference, in Mumbai. "Through this new partnership, Quad partners intend to coordinate, exchange information, share best practices with partners in the region, and leverage resources to mobilize government and private sector investments in quality port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific region.’’