The Quad Leaders in Delaware

On Friday, three leaders from the Indo-Pacific converged on Wilmington, Delaware, to meet for the last time with President Joe Biden. This Quad Leaders’ Summit was the sixth of the Biden presidency, highlighting President Biden’s commitment to building robust coalitions of cooperation to cope with a rapidly changing international order. Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio was also there to say goodbye to his fellow Quad leaders as he approached his final weeks in office.

Gathering at Biden’s home gave this round of talks personal as well as diplomatic meaning. President Biden began these leaders’ summits and became associated with the energy the Quad agenda has gathered over the years. He also knows Japan’s Kishida, India’s Narendra Modi, and Australia’s Anthony Albanese well.

Asia’s democracies matter in an era of global challenge to the post-World War II status quo. At each meeting, these leaders have repeated their commitment to sustained problem-solving in the Indo-Pacific, a diverse and dynamic region where China is increasingly powerful and where the rules of the geopolitical road are often contested.

This Quad summit was no different. The Fact Sheet issued over the weekend outlines the breadth of interests developed by the Quad, from combating cancer to deepening maritime cooperation and expanding opportunities for advanced study in the STEM fields among the next generation of Quad and ASEAN scientists.

Ensuring the sustainability of Quad cooperation will be crucial for all four nations. Their Joint Statement reiterated their shared purpose: 

Anchored by shared values, we seek to uphold the international order based on the rule of law. Together we represent nearly two billion people and over one-third of the global gross domestic product. We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient. Through our cooperation, the Quad is harnessing all of our collective strengths and resources, from governments to the private sector to people-to-people relationships, to support the region’s sustainable development, stability, and prosperity by delivering tangible benefits to the people of the Indo-Pacific.

Of course, some in China see this as an effort to keep its growing influence at bay.

Little could be further from the truth. The agenda of the Quad leaders has largely been about ensuring access to the public goods that few can provide on their own. By pooling their capabilities, the Quad leaders have provided a varied menu of assistance to the region: vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, maritime domain awareness to ensure law enforcement protection against illegal fisheries and human trafficking, and, this past weekend, a Quad cancer moonshot that will ensure that those in the Indo-Pacific will have access to the science and healthcare to treat deadly cancer. Coast Guard cooperation among the four nations is also on the agenda now in an effort to build the interoperability needed to manage a vast maritime region.

Ensuring that this agenda continues as a national priority in all four democracies will be critical to its future success, and nothing creates bureaucratic momentum better than a summit between Quad leaders. Some Quad leaders have changed. Japan and Australia elected new prime ministers and yet continued valuing the Quad’s ambitions. In fact, Australian Prime Minister Albanese jumped on a plane for Tokyo and a Quad meeting there just hours after being sworn into office. India’s Prime Minister Modi has been at all meetings demonstrating his desire for India to help build this idea of community in the Indo-Pacific.

With a change in U.S. leadership ahead this November, there is a question about whether a new U.S. president will embrace the Quad. But there has been considerable evidence of broad support for this Indo-Pacific priority here in the United States. To date, the Quad agenda has been allocated a budget, human resources have been dedicated to Quad priorities, and even a new voice for Quad cooperation on Capitol Hill, the newly formed bipartisan Quad Caucus, seems ready to ensure this Indo-Pacific agenda.

Japan, Australia, and India want to ensure a sustained U.S. commitment to working in coalition to support Indo-Pacific prosperity and well-being. With the region increasingly vulnerable to natural and man-made disasters and intensifying strategic competition, the U.S. can benefit greatly from working alongside its regional partners.

Thus, the Quad gathering in Delaware was not just a warm message of gratitude for President Biden’s leadership but also a message to the American people that we have strong Indo-Pacific allies and friends who want to work closely with us in the years ahead.