The Recent Quad Summit and Its Takeaways

The recent Quad summit meeting held on September 21 in Wilmington, Delaware marks a big step forward in the ties between these countries, the United States, India, Japan, and Australia.

One of the most important aspects of this summit was that it was the last during the tenure of US President Joe Biden. For Japan too, it was important as the final Quad summit under PM Fumio Kishida's leadership.

It is worth remembering that the Quad has had a somewhat rough ride. It was born on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting in 2007 but was quickly rolled back in the light of protests from China. A decade later, it was revived in 2017.

*PM Kishida is welcomed to Delaware by President Biden (Courtesy of Prime Minister's Office)*

Takeaways for Japan

President Biden had a separate meeting with Prime Minister Kishida of Japan in his hometown, Delaware. A readout of the meeting noted that "the President underscored that the US-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of regional peace and prosperity." It added that the leaders "commended the progress made in strengthening the global partnership with Japan since the Prime Minister's Official Visit to Washington, DC, in April 2024."

At their joint press conference, President Biden stated: "I'm also pleased to announce that for the first time, Japan and the United States and Australia will create a networked system of air, missile, and defense architecture. We're also looking forward to standing up a trilateral military exercise with Japan and the United Kingdom."

Ties between the US and Japan have been strengthened since PM Kishida took over as prime minister in October 2021. Japan has been closely aligned with the United States on various issues, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Building on close ties with the US, Japan under Kishida agreed to increase its defense budget to 2% of its GDP by 2027. In addition, it is retrofitting its Izumo-class helicopter carriers. This will allow them to operate US-made fighter aircrafts like the F-35B Lightning II.

*Quad leaders in their meeting in Delaware (Courtesy of Prime Minister's Office)*

Takeaways for India

PM Narendra Modi participated in the Quad summit and met with fellow Quad leaders. He also separately called on Japanese PM Kishida. India's role in the Quad is very important, especially because it is geographically located in the heart of the Indo-Pacific. Besides, it will be the hosting the next Quad summit in 2025.

In his remarks, PM Modi noted, "We have collaboratively undertaken numerous positive and inclusive initiatives in areas such as health, security, critical and emerging technologies, climate change, and capacity building. Our message is unequivocal: Quad is here to stay, to assist, to partner, and to complement"

Dissonances

One of the major dissonances within the Quad is the issue of India's close ties with Russia. It should be mentioned that the other Quad nations — US, Australia, and Japan ーhave criticized Russia in no uncertain terms for its invasion of Ukraine. However, India has refused to do the same because of its close historical ties with Russia.

Another issue is that countries like Japan and Australia have very close economic ties with China. Therefore, it remains to be seen how far they are willing to push China politically.

In addition, the Quad is not a military grouping. If any of them is attacked by China, it means the other Quad member countries would not be obliged to help. This has happened with India in the past. Chinese forces intruded into Indian territory in the summer of 2020 and clashes ensued. As a result, there was a loss of lives on both sides.

The United States and India are also at odds over the changes in India's neighboring country of Bangladesh. India has taken issue with the new government in Bangladesh. In contrast, the US seems to be in support of Mohammed Yunus, the Chief Adviser to the interim Bangladesh government.

*The Quad leaders stand for a family photo in Delaware. (Courtesy of Prime Minister's Office.)*

What is Bringing the Quad Countries Closer?

There is no denying that the growing belligerence shown by China in all fields is bringing the Quad countries closer. All Quad member countries have suffered from this aggressive Chinese belligerence.

Besides, China has gone on the aggressive toward weaker and smaller nations. This can be seen in China's actions in the South China Sea, especially toward countries like the Philippines.

Hence, it is unsurprising that, at the end of the Quad meeting, this issue was raised in the Wilmington Declaration. The declaration noted: "[A]s four leading maritime democracies in the Indo-Pacific, we unequivocally stand for the maintenance of peace and stability across this dynamic region, as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity."

Looking ahead, what will be worrying now for the Quad is that it will have two new leaders at the helm. These four leaders had built up a close camaraderie among themselves, which could be hard to replace.

This latest Quad Summit was the sixth overall meeting between the heads of state of the Quad countries. It was also their fourth in-person meeting. The Quad definitely has gained traction at the highest levels and this will be one of the hallmarks of the Biden-Kishida era. There is no denying that the Quad is a grouping that is here to stay.

Author: Dr Rupakjyoti Borah

Dr Borah is a Senior Research Fellow with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies. The views expressed here are personal.