Quad expand Indo-Pacific maritime cooperation
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The news: The Quad leaders from Australia, India, Japan and the US reaffirmed their commitment to Indo-Pacific regional security and expanded maritime cooperation at a meeting in Wilmington, Delaware over the weekend.
The group plans joint coast guard operations in 2025, increased military logistics collaboration, and launched the Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI).
The group also said it planned to expand critical and security technologies, including an open radio access network, to the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia, and announced enhanced joint cybersecurity measures, including threat information sharing and training, and an annual Quad Cyber Challenge.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Albanese pressed Biden on classifying Australian critical minerals as “American made” to access US subsidies, the AFR reported.
In a joint statement, the Quad condemned “coercive” actions in the South China Sea, reflecting concerns over China’s recent maritime aggression without naming the Asian nation.
The context: At the meeting, US President Joe Biden was caught by a hot mic telling allies he believes China’s increasing military assertiveness is an effort to test the region at a turbulent time for Beijing.
“China continues to behave aggressively, testing us all across the region, and it’s true in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, South China, South Asia and the Taiwan Straits,” he told Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“At least from our perspective, we believe (Chinese President) Xi Jinping is looking to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimise the turbulence in China’s diplomatic relationships, and he’s also looking to buy himself some diplomatic space, in my view, to aggressively pursue China’s interest.”
The summit marked the final Quad meeting for both Biden and Japan’s Kishida before he steps down. Biden insisted the Quad would endure "way beyond November," but doubts linger over the group's future under a potential Trump presidency.
The leaders condemned North Korea's “destabilising ballistic missile” activity and malicious cyber operations, while expressing “deep concern over countries deepening military ties with North Korea, which directly undermine the global nonproliferation regime”—a pointed reference to Russia without naming it directly.
The numbers: Humanitarian aid of about USD5 million was pledged for natural disasters, and a Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network was announced.
The US president also expanded his cancer moonshot initiative to the region, with the launch of the Quad Cancer Moonshot, targeting cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific.
For that initiative, Japan committed USD27 million in medical equipment for Cambodia, Vietnam and Timor Leste, India committed USD7.5 million in HPV vaccines and detection kits, and Australia committed $29.6 million for cervical cancer initiatives in the region with support from Andrew and Nicola Forrest's Minderoo Foundation.
The sources: Joint Quad statement, Reuters
