Opinion: Biggest Takeaway From Quad Summit Is That It's Here To Stay

US President Joe Biden hosted the Prime Ministers of India, Australia, and Japan for the fourth in-person Quad Leaders' Summit at his hometown, Wilmington, last week. This summit was seen as crucial for multiple reasons. First, it was the last one to be attended by Biden, a key architect of the grouping's institutionalisation, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who played a pivotal role in adding political heft to the forum. Second, 2024 marks 20 years since the formation of the grouping. Third, and most importantly, the Wilmington summit further consolidated the grouping by expanding key areas of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Indeed, this summit has been successful in signalling - 'The Quad is here to stay'.

At a time of highly complex global crises playing out in different parts of the world, the Quad leaders' summit took place in the context of critical challenges and vital opportunities. With enduring wars in Europe and the Middle East, China's belligerent activities in the Indo-Pacific region and emerging non-traditional security challenges in the region, the Quad had its task cut out. The Wilmington Declaration - the joint statement of the Quad leaders - amply addressed these critical questions.

The Wilmington Statement

The joint statement issued by the leaders of the Quad grouping in Wilmington exhibits continuity in responding to the war in Ukraine, reiterating the urgent need to put an end to the conflict and uphold the spirit of international law. Similarly, this year's statement expressed concerns over ballistic missile launches conducted by North Korea and the need to prevent the proliferation of nuclear missiles and technologies. Additionally, the Wilmington Declaration focused on the ongoing conflict in Gaza as well.

The group shared its concerns over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza advocating for a sovereign, viable, and independent state of Palestine while remaining sensitive to the concerns of Israel. Apart from these, the statement further reiterated concerns over the worsening political and humanitarian situation in Myanmar, as well as attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
However, China remained the big-ticket question for the Quad in the Indo-Pacific context. On the China question, Quad's response this year seems sharper than the previous years. Earlier, at the Quad Foreign Ministers' meet, the grouping called Beijing out - albeit without naming it - for disregarding international law and unilaterally acting in the East and South China Sea region. Similarly, the Quad leaders expressed their concern over increasing militarisation in disputed pockets of the Indo-Pacific. Responding to the tensions in the region, the grouping condemned the use of coastguards and maritime militia vessels, which serve as China's tactics for coercive and intimidating manoeuvres.

A Slew Of Announcements

Quad's synergy on issues of maritime safety and security in the Indo-Pacific has also gained vital momentum at this summit. A joint coastguard-level cooperation among the four Quad countries - Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission - proposed at the summit seeks to improve interoperability among the coastguard services of the four countries, advancing cooperation in the domain of maritime safety and security. Similarly, responding to the imminent challenges posed by natural calamities and disasters in the Indo-Pacific, the grouping announced the launch of the 'Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network', which is meant to pursue shared airlift capacities in a bid to improve cooperation in the domain of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) activities.

Additionally, Quad's efforts to bolster Maritime Domain Awareness through the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) received a significant push with Australia committing to involve the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency to enhance cooperation, as well as by the grouping proposing a new Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI). This summit further consolidated its regional partnerships through continued cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). Notably, the Quad Fellowship programme has been expanded to include students from ASEAN countries demonstrating the grouping's inclusion of regional partners in fostering people-to-people ties.

The slew of announcements made at this year's Quad summit, and the resultant Wilmington Declaration, underscore the enduring promise and relevance of the grouping. While Quad continues to respond to critical geopolitical challenges in the world - specifically in the Indo-Pacific - it has also demonstrated a robust positive agenda to harness shared opportunities. 

Indeed, the Quad is here to stay, in pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific - one that is inclusive and resilient.

(Harsh V Pant is Vice President for Studies at ORF. Sayantan Haldar works with the Maritime Initiative at ORF)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author