Quad leaders hold talks to launch projects on climate change, debt management
MANILA, Philippines — Leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue recently held another dialogue in Japan to discuss, among other things, peace and stability within the Indo-Pacific region, the pandemic, debt management, climate change, and technology and cybersecurity.
US President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened the fourth meeting of the “Quad” to lay out their vision for a “free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.”
“We reaffirm our resolve to uphold the international rules-based order where countries are free from all forms of military, economic and political coercion,” their joint statement read.
Talks between the four member countries began in 2007, which was widely perceived as a response to the increasing Chinese power and influence on the region’s political economy and military.
READ: Checking China: What is the Quad alliance?
Their recently concluded dialogue is only the second meeting held in-person and their next meeting is slated next year, which will be hosted by Australia.
Members say they will continue to promote following international law when it comes to dealing with maritime issues, especially to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and that includes the coverage of the East and South China Sea that has been the subject of multiple disputes.
The Quad said it “strongly [opposes] coercive, provocative or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo and increase tensions in the area.”
Other issues discussed and announcements made during the summit include:
- Quad partners, making up nearly half of CEPI’s public investors, will be giving $524 million to CEPI. Funds will be used to develop new vaccines against infectious diseases. Quad partners have so far pledged $5.2 billion to the COVAX AMC, while the Quad has delivered 670 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, of which 265 million were dedicated to Indo-Pacific countries.
- The US, Japan, India, and Australia plan to provide over $50 billion for infrastructure development into the region within the next five years.
- The Quad also aims to help debt-ridden countries, whose financial situations have worsened due to the pandemic, by using the G20 Common Framework as a guide and through its “Quad Debt Management Resource Portal” that would provide “multiple bilateral and multilateral capacity building assistance.” The group said it will also work with finance leaders of “relevant countries” in to help advance debt sustainability and transparency.
- The newly launched “Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package” is created to help address the challenges brought by climate change to the Pacific islands. The package includes programs under its climate working group such as disaster risk reduction, a new deal on clean fuel ammonia, strengthening clean energy supply chains, and sharing information on subnational climate actions. In line with this, the Quad also launched a project to assist those affected by humanitarian and natural disasters in the region.
- A Quad Cybersecurity Day is in the works to help individuals across member-states and those within the region to address and help protect themselves from cyber security threats.
- To address emerging technology, the Quad plans to ink a memorandum of cooperation on 5G supplier diversification and Open RAN. Member-states also plan on hosting Open RAN Track 1.5 events and other projects to promote emerging technologies and to ensure their access throughout the region.
- Kickstarting its Quad Fellowship, member countries will begin fielding 100 students to the United States next year to pursue graduate degrees in the STEM fields.
- A “Quad Satellite Data Portal” will also soon be launched to serve as an Earth observatory portal as the countries increase investments and projects related to space explorations.
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