Washington: The United States has stated that the Quad is not a Quad Alliance but a group of countries that are keen to strengthen the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region. This group includes Japan, India, Australia, and the United States. The long-awaited proposal to counter China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific region was ratified by all four countries in 2017. Ahead of next week’s ministerial ‘two plus two’ meeting between India and the US, a senior official told reporters, “There is nothing in the quad that makes it an alliance. That form has not yet been given. There is currently no mutual obligation between the countries involved. It is also not an organization that requests membership. ‘
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Asper are going to India for talks with Foreign Minister Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. U.S. officials visiting India will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In response to a question, the official said that the Quad ministerial talks held in Tokyo in October demonstrated the strong ties between the democracies of the Indo-Pacific region. He said that this is a group of countries that want rule based system in which all countries are sovereign, strong and prosperous. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “This is a group of countries that move beyond obligations to common interests and values. This is an example of effective multilateralism. ” Amid growing global concerns over China’s expansionist behavior, Quad ministers met in Tokyo on October 6 and reaffirmed their commitment to a collective vision of an independent, free and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
The first meeting was held in September 2019
The first meeting of the Foreign Ministers of these four countries under the ‘Quad’ was held in September 2019 in New York. Attempts by China to establish military dominance in the Indo-Pacific region have become an important part of the dialogue between these global powers. The U.S. has been in favor of building the quad as a security framework to curb China’s growing aggression. China is involved in territorial disputes in the South and East China Sea.
