Roving Periscope: Ahead of Sydney Summit, the US says no plans for the QUAD’s expansion
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Amid reports that some Asian countries evinced interest in joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), widely viewed as an Asian version of NATO to counterbalance China’s designs, the USA has clarified that currently, the four-nation group has no plans to add new members.
QUAD comprises four democracies—the US, India, Australia, and Japan.
Ahead of the QUAD leaders’ Summit in Australia later this month, the US said there are no plans to add new members, the media reported.
When asked about the group’s expansion, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday, “The QUAD was established two years ago. It is still a relatively young partnership. There are no plans for new members at this time. The QUAD members have agreed that, for now, the focus is on cementing the group’s many strengths.”
The Heads of State/Government of the QUAD countries—US President Joe Biden, Prime Ministers Narendra Modi (India), Anthony Albanese (Australia) and Yoshihide Suga (Japan) are scheduled to meet in Sydney, Australia, on June 24.
“However, the QUAD welcomes opportunities to work with a wide range of Indo-Pacific partners, such as maritime domain awareness, which is delivering cutting-edge maritime domain awareness technology around the region,” she added.
The QUAD aims to ensure and support a “free, open, and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region, she said.
Australian PM Albanese said the Sydney Summit will provide a chance to work in cooperation with the US, Japan, and India.
The Summit will showcase other opportunities in the QUAD for partnership around the region on climate, global health, infrastructure, etc. Its top priority is ensuring it is well-positioned to deliver for the Indo-Pacific. And so, there’s no conversation on extending or expanding at this time, Jean-Pierre said.
