Quad leaders ready for landmark summit but what can they really do about China?
- The meeting of the heads of state of the US, Japan, India and Australia will discuss maritime interests, climate and vaccines – but ‘no single competitor’
- Experts are weighing in on how much the Quad can do and whether, in a crisis, they would really step in to help each other
The first heads of state meeting of the “Quad” on Friday is expected to mark the start of a new power dynamic that would counter China’s influence in the region, but analysts ask how far can it go.
US President Joe Biden and his counterparts from Japan, India and Australia will meet virtually on Friday to discuss regional and global issues of “shared interest” – ranging from maritime issues and climate challenges to coronavirus vaccination.
The summit would be the first held under the Quad framework since the initial official-level meeting instigated by Japan in 2007.
The group was started to coordinate relief following the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. The Quad held rounds of dialogue after that but was considered “revived” under former US president Donald Trump late last year, when the group had a foreign minister-level meeting and held its first joint naval exercises.