The Quadrilateral Group consisting of India, Australia, Japan, and the U.S. was formed in 2017. It aims to strengthen the defence and security cooperation among the four countries. It was proposed by the former Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe in 2007 to check China’s growing influence and assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

It has a shared objective to ensure and support a “free, open, and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region.

Formation and Evolution of QUAD

The occurrence of a Tsunami in the Indian Ocean led to the formation of India, Japan, Australia, and the US to build an informal alliance for collaborating on disaster relief efforts.

Formation of QUAD

In 2007, The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, formalized it into the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or the Quad.

• 2007: The Quad was initially formed in 2007 during an informal meeting of leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila (Phillippines). It was Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who first proposed the idea of creating the Quad.
• In the same year, all four nations met for the Malabar joint naval exercise for the first time, strengthening the military dimension. However, in 2008, the Australian government announced that it would not participate in the Quad exercises.
• In 2012, The Japanese Prime Minister highlighted the concept of the ‘Democratic Security Diamond‘ in Asia, which includes the US, Japan, India, and Australia. However, Australia’s 2008 decision to back out of the Quad exercises slowed the progress.

Resurgence in 2017

In 2017, the Quad nations were once again confronted with the growing danger posed by China. Therefore, the four nations revitalized the Quad by expanding its goals and devising a system that aimed to gradually establish an international order based on rules.

• India, Japan, the USA, and Australia held the first ‘Quad’ talks in Manila ahead of the ASEAN Summit 2017.
• 2020: The trilateral India-US-Japan Malabar naval exercises expanded to include Australia, marking the first official grouping of the Quad since its resurgence in 2017 and the first joint military exercises among the four countries in over a decade.
• 2021:The Quad leaders met virtually and later released a joint statement titled ‘The Spirit of the Quad’.
• 2022: Leaders signed guidelines to operationalize the Quad Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) partnership and issued a statement recognizing the harmful effects of Ransomware.
• 2023: The Quad Principles of Clean Energy Supply Chains were released to guide engagement with the region on clean energy supply chain development.

How does the QUAD function?

The Quad is a loose grouping rather than a formal alliance. It does not have a decision-making body, a secretariat, or a formal structure like NATO or the United Nations. The alliance is maintained through summits, meetings, information exchanges, and military drills.

Military dialogues

The Quadrilateral met five times in 2007–2019. During the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi in 2018, the navy chiefs of Japan, the US, Australia, and India came together, one of the first indications of the revival of the Quad’s security structure.

Leader summits

Since 2021, member states of the Quad and their leaders have hosted regular “Leaders Summits”, which have been both online and in-person.

In March 2021, the Quad leaders met virtually for the first time. In September 2021, the first in-person meeting of Quad leaders was held. A similar summit of Quad leaders is being hosted by Japan.

Objectives of QUAD:

• Free the transport corridors: The Quad’s mission is to keep important water corridors in the Indo-Pacific free of military and political interference. It is considered a strategic partnership to weaken China’s hold on the region.
• Rule-based world order: The Quad’s main purpose was to create a worldwide order based on norms, freedom of navigation, and a free commerce system.
• Alternative debt Financing in Indo-Pacific: The consortium also plans to provide Indo-Pacific countries with alternative debt financing.
• Partnership in Technologies: The Quad leaders all discuss key and emerging technologies, connectivity and infrastructure, cyber security, maritime security, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, climate change, pandemic preparedness, and education.

Geographical Extent

The US sees the US and India as the book-ends of the Asia-Pacific region.  However, India and Japan have included the oceans up to Africa in their definition of the Indo-Pacific.

• Thus the entire focus of India-Pacific makes the Quad a maritime, rather than land-based grouping, extended in the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. Although, this raises the question of whether the cooperation extends to the Asia-Pacific and Eurasian regions.
• But the cooperation in technology (such as 5G or space cooperation) and climate change transcends all geographical barriers.

Initiatives Taken by QUAD

To strengthen the resilience and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific the Leaders announced the following initiatives that would complement the development priorities of the region:

In the 1^st ever-in-person Quad Summit held in 2021 on the sidelines of the UNGA session, several steps were taken under the three “working groups”:

1. Quad Critical and Emerging Technology Working Group.

It includes initiatives in several domains, such as:

• Quad Senior Cyber Group, 2021:
  • For Implementation of shared cyber standards; Development of secure software; Building workforce & Talent; and Promoting the scalability and cyber security of secure & trustworthy digital infrastructure.
  • With similar standards, the Quad countries would have greater access to each others’ markets.
• Space Cooperation (2021) begins.
  • Sharing of Earth observation satellite data and analysis on climate change risks and the sustainable use of oceans and marine resources.
  • It will help in monitoring & adapting to climate change, and disaster preparedness, in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • [Remember – Some geospatial data is already shared under BECA by the US, this topic is taken up under Indo-US relations]
• Technical Standards Contact Groups:The Quad will establish contact groups on Advanced Communications and AI focusing on standards-development activities as well as foundational pre-standardization research.
• Semiconductor Supply Chain Initiative:to map capacity, identify vulnerabilities, and bolster supply-chain security for semiconductors and their vital components.  It will help ensure Quad partners support a diverse and competitive market that produces the secure critical technologies essential for digital economies globally.
• Support 5G Deployment and Diversification:
  • A Track 1.5 industry dialogue on Open RAN deployment (Radio Access Network) and adoption, coordinated by the Open RAN Policy Coalition. Quad support for a small-scale ORAN deployment in Palau, the 1^st in the Pacific region.
  • Quad partners will jointly facilitate enabling environments for 5G diversification, including efforts related to testing and test facilities.
  • This is significant in the context of China leading the 5G development in the world currently.
• ‘Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience’ to leverage Quad’s collective expertise in the design, manufacturing, laying, and maintenance of undersea cables to secure and diversify these critical networks.
  • Monitor Biotechnology Scanning: The Quad will monitor trends in critical and emerging technologies, starting with advanced biotechnologies, including synthetic biology, genome sequencing, and bio-manufacturing. In the process, we will identify related opportunities for cooperation.
  • Quad Fellowship: This scholarship program will bring 100 exceptional Master’s & doctoral students (25 from each country) in STEM to study in the US. This will advance innovation and collaboration in the private, public, and academic sectors among Quad countries. It would be operated and administered by philanthropic initiative, in consultation with a non-governmental task force comprised of leaders from each Quad country.
  • Quad Investors’ Network has been launched as a private sector-led platform to facilitate investments in strategic technologies.

Further, ‘The Quad Vaccine Partnership’ also helped in making the COVID-19 vaccine available in the south Asia & the Pacific. Under this initiative, India pledged to donate 1.2bn vaccine doses globally in addition to doses financed through the COVAX initiative. Whereas, other partners participated in its financing.

2. Developments after The Quad Climate Working Group:

Till Joe Biden was in power, the Climate Working Group functioned to generate immense progress.

• Green shipping Network: The Quad countries will launch a Quad Shipping Taskforce and will invite leading ports including Los Angeles, Mumbai Port Trust, Sydney(Botany) and Yokohama, to form a network dedicated to greening and decarbonizing the shipping value chain.
• Clean Hydrogen Partnership:  identification and development of delivery infrastructure to safely and efficiently transport, store, and distribute clean hydrogen for end-use applications, and stimulate market demand to accelerate trade in clean hydrogen in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Quad-Low emission shipping corridors: 2-3 such corridors will be developed by 2030.
• Clean Energy Supply Chains Initiative which would facilitate research and development and support the Indo-Pacific’s energy transition. In addition, the Quad Principles of Clean Energy Supply Chains were approved to guide engagement with the region on clean energy supply chain development.

3. Infrastructure coordination Group

The Quad Infrastructure coordination group was launched in 2021 to meet the significant infrastructure demand in the Indo-Pacific.

• Significance: It is seen as a response to Chinese BRI.
• Lead on High-end infrastructure: This represents thousands of projects, including capacity-building, across more than 30 countries in support of rural development, health infrastructure, water supply and sanitation, renewable power generation (e.g., wind, solar, and hydro), telecommunications, road transportation, and more.
• ‘Quad Infrastructure Fellowships Programme’ to support policymakers and practitioners in the region to design, build, and manage sustainable and viable infrastructure in their countries.

Further, the Leaders welcomed the progress of the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, announced at their Summit last year in Tokyo. They noted that data sharing with partners in the Southeast and the Pacific under this program is underway and would soon include partners in the Indian Ocean Region. Prime Minister highlighted how India’s approach to demand-driven development cooperation with the region was contributing to these efforts.

Significance of QUAD

The significance of QUAD for India can be analyzed through:

Concept of Democratic Peace:

In recent times, the vision of the QUAD has been clarified as to achieve “free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion”. With this, India can aim to limit the growing hegemony of China in the region.

Strategic importance:

• It is a platform to discuss and address the common challenges faced by the Indo-Pacific region, such as the rise of China and its increasing assertiveness in the region through the ‘String of pearls’
• China is trying to extend its reach in the Indian Ocean, and India can now balance by expanding its reach in the Pacific.
• Maritime security: QUAD is useful for Indian maritime security by conducting joint naval exercises and coordinating on issues like freedom of navigation, piracy, and illegal fishing.
• Regional stability: QUAD is significant for India in promoting regional stability in the Indo-Pacific region. It is based on the principles of a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific and aims to promote a rules-based international order.

Economic significance:

• The member countries have launched several initiatives like the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor, the Blue Dot Network, and the Supply Chain Resilience Initiativeto promote economic development in the region. India is mostly at the receiving end of investments by QUAD countries.
• Resilient Supply Chains: Due to disruptions in the supply chain during the pandemic, Japan and the US want to shift their manufacturing companies out of China in order to curb their imperialistic behaviour, which could be capitalized on by India as well.

Limitations of the QUAD

Some limitations and challenges of the QUAD grouping are explained below:

• Lacks definitive structure:The QUAD grouping does not have a formal structure with a secretariat or any permanent decision-making body. However, this has not hindered the partnership in any way.
• Difficulty in addressing China’s concerns:The QUAD grouping is viewed with suspicion by China, which sees it as an attempt to contain its rise. This makes it challenging for the group to engage with China in a constructive manner, which may cause tension between the member countries.

Unequal Partners

• Imbalanced cooperation:The members do not have the same levels of financial resources, strategic awareness, and military capabilities in the Indian Ocean. This creates an imbalance in cooperation, which might create problems in the future.
• Varying military capabilities:The QUAD members have varying levels of military capabilities, with the US being the most powerful and Australia being the least. This could limit the group’s ability to take action if needed.

Political Challenges

• Domestic politics: Domestic political considerations could limit the ability to cooperate. For example, India’s domestic politics could make it difficult for the country to align itself too closely with the US.
• Geopolitical challenges: The challenges such as territorial disputes, regional tensions, and non-traditional security threats, will require a coordinated and sustained effort from the QUAD members, which may be difficult.
• India’s Insistence: “underlined that the Quad must remain focused on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region”, and must not become the US’s tool to oppose China’s rise or just to oppose Russian influence.
• Lack of coherent actions:The QUAD grouping has not taken any concrete action to address the issues in the Indo-Pacific region. The lack of coherent actions can undermine the group’s credibility and effectiveness in addressing regional challenges.

Way Forward

The Quad nations need to better explain the Indo-Pacific Vision in an overarching framework to advance everyone’s economic and security interests.

• India has many other partners in the Indo-Pacific; therefore, India should pitch for countries like Indonesia, and Singaporeto be invited to join in the future.
• India should develop a comprehensive vision of the Indo-Pacificwhich would ideate on the current and future maritime challenges, consolidate its military and non-military tools, and engage its strategic partners.

 

India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)

The Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) is a multinational grouping for cooperation between India and 14 Pacific Islands nations namely – Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. All Heads of state/heads of government of the above countries met in Suva, Fiji in November 2014 for the first time where the annual summit was conceptualised. The FIPIC initiative marks a serious effort to expand India’s engagement in the Pacific region. A major part of India’s engagement with these countries is through development assistance under South-South Cooperation, mainly in capacity building (training, scholarships, grant-in-aid and loan assistance) and community development projects. In 2015, the FIPIC Trade Office at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) promoted Trade & Investment opportunities between India & Pacific Island Countries. Major Highlights of the 3rd FIPIC Summit (2023) India Stands with PICs: India supports the sovereignty and integrity of all countries and emphasises the shared priority of reforming international institutions to amplify the voice of the Global South. Extention of the QUAD Agenda: The Prime Minister mentioned discussions with Australia, the US, and Japan as part of the Quad during the G7 Summit, focusing on the Indo-Pacific region. Cooperation on Technology: leaders from the Quad nations have announced plans to implement Open Radio Access Networks (ORAN)  beginning with Palau in the Pacific Region. The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea also urged India to be an advocate for the PICs in the G-7 and the G-20 Summits. 12-Point Formula: India unveiled a 12-point development programme in areas of healthcare, cyberspace, clean energy, water and small and medium enterprises in PIC, according to which: India will establish a super-speciality cardiology hospital in Fiji, introduce dialysis units and sea ambulances in all 14 PICs, and establish Jan Aushadhi Centres to provide affordable medicines. India will support the development of the small- and medium-scale enterprise sector in each Pacific Island nation. India also pledged to provide desalination units to address water scarcity issues.

Conclusion

Given the maritime threats and challenges, the priority should be enhancing the interoperability of maritime forces. They should focus more on cooperation and coordination in the provision of disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. QUAD is not an alliance but a progressive diplomatic bond with escalation remaining flexible and responsive to Chinese actions and building the capability and interoperability to counter jointly when the need arises.