The United States (US), Australia, India, and Japan held the first in-person meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
In his opening address, US President Joe Biden welcomed Australian Prime Minister (PM) Scott Morrison, Indian PM Narendra Modi, and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga. He referred to them as “democratic partners who share a world view and have a common vision for the future–coming together to take on key challenges of our age, from COVID to climate to emerging technologies.”
Biden announced that the meeting, and the partnership at large, is underpinned by the US’ attempt to foster a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” He briefly mentioned the efforts undertaken by the US in aiding the QUAD nations, such as providing a billion doses of vaccines to India, promoting emission-free shipping, and launching a fellowship for students from all four countries in STEM.
It was an honor to host the Prime Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan this afternoon for the first-ever in-person Quad Leaders Summit. We share a common vision for the future, and we’re coming together to meet the key challenges of the 21st century. pic.twitter.com/OQYRvzkqeQ
— President Biden (@POTUS) September 24, 2021
Next, PM Modi expressed his faith in the QUAD and its potential to become a “force for the global good.” He said that “based on shared democratic values, QUAD has decided to move forward with positive thinking and a positive approach.” Additionally, he mentioned that their collective vaccine initiative, climate policy, and approach towards evolving technology foregrounds the ethos of a shared Indo-Pacific future.
After this, Australian PM Morrison took the floor and delivered an intensive speech. He chimed in with his American counterpart to suggest that the member nations of the QUAD “know how to get things done” and “deal with the big challenges that we face in a very complex and changing world.”
Morrison highlighted the QUAD’s efforts in the following fields:
- Combating the Pandemic through Effective Vaccine Delivery: “Six hundred and seventy million, at least, safe and effective doses of vaccines already out there. A billion is our goal, Mr President, and we will add more to that today, using our national strengths collectively to manufacture and distribute these vaccines, to have the doses but also to ensure they go that last mile to ensure they are administered in all parts of the region,” he said.
- Climate Change: “We’re working together on low-emissions technologies that will indeed change the world and take the world to a net-zero economy—a new energy economy,” he said.
- Cyberspace and Technology: “We’re working to make cyberspace and emerging, and critical technologies trusted and secured in open societies, solving problems, and addressing the supply chain challenges that in many ways hold the keys to our security and our prosperity and our environment in the 21st century,” he said.
Morrison concluded by thanking Biden for hosting the summit and saying that he is in “no doubt that together the four nations multiply many times over the forces of hope for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.”
Like his counterparts, Japanese PM Suga reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the QUAD. “This event demonstrates the strong solidarity between our four nations and our unwavering commitment to the common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he said.
He also spoke about the concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, technology, etc. Apart from this, Suga mentioned the US’ lifting of import restrictions against Japanese food products. “It is a major step in supporting the recovery from the earthquake and tsunami, and we are most appreciative [to the US],” he noted.
In a joint statement, the four nations delineated the pivotal points discussed during the meeting. The statement read: “The occasion of the Quad summit is an opportunity to refocus ourselves and the world on the Indo-Pacific and on our vision for what we hope to achieve. Together, we recommit to promoting the free, open, rules-based order, rooted in international law and undaunted by coercion, to bolster security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.”
Furthermore, the statement mentioned the QUAD’s “strong support for ASEAN’s unity and centrality and ASEAN’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific” and welcomed the European Union’s Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
Moreover, the statement included the QUAD’s pandemic and vaccine delivery efforts and outlined the multilateral steps aided by the COVAX facility for “safe, effective, quality-assured vaccine production and equitable access” within the four nations. It stated: “In line with our March announcement, and recognizing the continuing global supply gap, we will ensure this expanded manufacturing is exported for the Indo-Pacific and the world, and we will coordinate with key multilateral initiatives, such as the COVAX Facility, to procure proven safe, effective and quality-assured COVID-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries.”
The QUAD will also invest in Science and Technology cooperation in clinical trials and genomic surveillance to combat the pandemic. Additionally, the four nations announced that they would conduct a joint pandemic-preparedness tabletop or exercise in 2022.
Elaborating the points made by the leaders during their speech, the statement noted the measures undertaken and adopted by the QUAD regarding climate crisis, critical and emerging technologies, and cyberspace.
To tackle the imminent climate crisis and far-reaching impacts of global warming, the QUAD aims to achieve global net-zero emissions by the end of 2050. “Quad countries will work together for successful outcomes at the COP26 and G20 that uphold the level of climate ambition and innovation that this moment requires.” the statement highlighted.
For cooperation on evolving technologies, QUAD’s mission underscores the importance of universal human rights. The statement outlined several areas of technological collaboration, such as diversification of 5G networks, biotechnology, Open-RAN, etc. “We will establish sector-specific contact groups to promote an open, inclusive, private-sector-led, multi-stakeholder, and consensus-based approach,” it read.
The statement also established that the QUAD is involved in ongoing cyberspace exploration and identifying shared opportunities for “peaceful purposes such as monitoring climate change, disaster response and preparedness, sustainable uses of oceans and marine resources, and on responding to challenges in shared domains.”
In addition, the QUAD called for the immediate denuclearisation of North Korea in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions. “We urge North Korea to abide by its UN obligations, refrain from provocations. We also call on North Korea to engage in substantive dialogue,” the four nations said.
The statement concluded: “At a time that tests us all, our commitment to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific is firm, and our vision for this partnership remains ambitious and far-reaching. With steadfast cooperation, we rise to meet this moment together.”
Meanwhile, a press release by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs stated that the QUAD condemned terrorism and insurgency during the meeting. “The leaders denounced the use of terrorist proxies and emphasized the importance of denying any logistical, financial or military support to terrorist groups which could be used to launch or plan terror attacks, including cross-border attacks,” the release stated.
The QUAD meeting has resulted in two other documents, including the Fact Sheet, extensively defining the extent of each initiative brought forth by the leaders at the meeting, and another release highlighting the QUAD Principles on Technology Design, Development, Governance, and Use. The documents reflected the three-point agenda announced by Biden during his speech at the 76th United Nations General Assembly: Saving Lives Now, Vaccinating the World, and Building Back Better.
On the whole, the QUAD summit was marked by the four nations’ motivation to build a “free and open Indo-Pacific” while expanding cross-country interaction and fostering strategic multilateral cooperation.