QUADRILATERAL SECURITY DIALOGUE SUMMIT

Context: The maiden Quadrilateral Security Dialogue summit of the leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. was held on March 12.

• It was a defining moment in Asian geopolitics.
• This meeting at the highest political level, concluded with a substantive joint statement is indicative of tangible action and visible cooperation, that will impact the whole region.

Five Major highlights of the summit:

• First, the joint statement refers to a “free and open Indo-Pacific region that is inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion.
• Second, the summit leaders have secured an adequate alignment of their approaches towards China, even without mentioning its name instead phrases such as “security challenges” and “the rules-based maritime order in the East and South China Seas” were used in the joint statement.
• Third, the Quad members aimed to convince the nations of Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and the Indian Ocean region that the Quad is committed to solutions for their development and well-being.
• Special initiative will be taken to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for every person in need in the region from the western Pacific to eastern Africa.
• Firm commitment of financial support by the U.S. and Japan, logistics and funding from Australia, and the manufacturing and managerial support from India is ensured.
• Fourth, the establishment of three working groups on vaccine partnership; climate change; and critical and emerging technologies (such as telecom and biotechnology) and their new standards, innovation and supply chains is a welcome step.
• Fifth, the leaders have agreed to meet in-person later this year. Thus, will grow the habits of the Quad working together for a common vision and with agreed modalities for cooperation.

Other aspects

• The summit has been watched closely by the ASEAN capitals.
• The Chinese see it in negative terms, targeting New Delhi in particular. China claimed that “India is moving too close to the U.S.” and is becoming “a negative asset of BRICS and SCO.
• The commitment to the “complete de-nuclearization” of North Korea as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions was reiterated in reference to South Korea as a partner of the Quad.
• On Myanmar, Washington call “to restore democracy and the priority of strengthening democratic resilience”.
• The four leaders reinstated that Quad is “a flexible group of like-minded partners dedicated to advancing a common vision and to ensuring peace and prosperity”.

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-giant-leap-forward-for-the-quad/article34076927.ece?homepage=true