Quad Leaders’ Summit 2024 and Modi’s Bilateral Talks
The 2024 Quad Leaders' Summit took a lively turn when a hot mic caught US President Joe Biden saying, "China is testing us." Perhaps it was a mic-testing failure? As his fellow counterparts listened in, it became clear that Biden’s unscripted moment signalled the Quad’s seriousness about the emerging global challenges — no soundcheck required.
Credits: Prime Minister’s Office of Japan
Let’s look at some of the key takeaways from the summit held on 21st September 2024-
1. Maritime Security and Logistics:
The Quad nations introduced a new Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI) to help regional partners enhance their ability to monitor, secure, and enforce maritime laws. India will host the first MAITRI workshop in 2025. The initiative is supported by the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), introduced in 2022. This year's statement specifically mentions the entities that the program collaborates with - the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, the Information Fusion Center in Gurugram and its partners in South East Asia.
The IPMDA has enabled more than two dozen countries to access data on dark vessel activities, helping them better monitor their exclusive economic zones and detect unlawful activities. Dark vessel activities refer to maritime operations conducted by ships that deliberately turn off their automatic identification systems (AIS) to avoid detection. By going "dark," these ships conceal their location and movements from authorities and monitoring systems, making it harder to track their activities, including smuggling, human trafficking, illegal fishing, or evading sanctions.
A Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project was also announced, enabling shared airlift capacity for disaster response. Additionally, the Quad partners unveiled plans for the first-ever "Quad-at-Sea" Ship Observer Mission that will launch in 2025 to improve interoperability between the U.S., Japanese, Australian, and Indian coast guards.
2. Health Security
Building on the Quad’s successful partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic, the leaders announced the Quad Cancer Moonshot. The initiative, which holds personal significance for President Biden due to the loss of his son to brain cancer in 2015, focuses on cancer screening, vaccines, and treatment. All four Quad nations will contribute to the project through collective donations. With its initial focus on cervical cancer, India has committed to providing HPV kits and vaccines worth $7.5 million to the Indo-Pacific, while the U.S. has committed $1.58 billion over five years to support cancer prevention and treatment in the region.
Further, in response to Mpox, the Quad will provide low-cost vaccines across the Indo-Pacific. India will release a white paper on emergency public health responses, while Australia attempts to boost its pool of public health specialists. Overall, the Quad's focus on public health is a positive development. Health is a universal issue transcending borders, directly affecting economic stability, regional security, and quality of life. Proactively improving health infrastructure will help prevent destabilising outbreaks, benefiting the global community at large.
3. People-Based Initiatives
In partnership with the Institute of International Education, which oversees the Quad Fellowship, Quad governments are welcoming the second cohort of fellows and expanding the program to include students from ASEAN countries for the first time. The government of Japan is providing support and allowing Quad Fellows to pursue studies in Japan. India also launched Quad scholarships worth ₹4 crore for 50 students from the Indo-Pacific to pursue undergraduate engineering programs at government-funded institutions in India.
4. Technology and AI:
The U.S. pledged over $7 million to support the global expansion of the Asia Open RAN Academy (AORA) by partnering with Indian institutions for training in 5G deployment. Quad countries launched Track 1.5 dialogues on AI and Advanced Communications Technologies to promote international standardisation and frameworks for AI conformity assessment. Additionally, the Quad partners plan to introduce the BioExplore Initiative, with initial funding of $2 million to use AI for studying and analysing biological ecosystems across the four countries.
5. Ports and Infrastructure
The Quad Ports of the Future Partnership will focus on supporting sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific. Mumbai will host the inaugural Regional Ports and Transportation Conference for Quad partners in 2025. Through this new collaboration, member states aim to coordinate efforts, exchange information, and share best practices with regional stakeholders, harnessing government and private sector resources to drive investment in port infrastructure throughout the Indo-Pacific.
Incremental Institutionalisation
For the first time, planned ministerial meetings between the Commerce and Industry Ministers and the leaders of the Development Finance Institutions and Agencies have been mentioned. This investment-focused approach signifies a shift towards more formalised coordination across sectors.
The talks around budgetary and legislative support highlight efforts to embed Quad priorities into national governance structures. Such regular high-level engagements will ensure continuity and a structured framework for cooperation, signalling that the Quad’s presence is becoming permanent.
Modi’s Bilateral Talks
Alongside attending the Quad Leaders' Summit, Prime Minister Modi attended the UN General Assembly, addressed the Indian diaspora, and held bilateral meetings with several heads of state. Notably, President Joe Biden hosted PM Modi at his Delaware home, where they discussed strengthening the India-US strategic partnership, including cooperation on critical technologies like semiconductors, space, and defence agreements. Biden also praised India’s global leadership, particularly in the G20 and the Global South.
The two leaders celebrated the success of the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) and appreciated the progress towards the first joint effort by NASA and ISRO to conduct scientific research onboard the International Space Station in 2025. The US president also welcomed India’s procurement of remotely piloted aircraft and associated equipment, which aim to enhance the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities of India's armed forces.
Despite outward diplomatic gestures, unspoken tensions persisted between India and the U.S. over the Pannun case. Recently, a U.S. court issued a summons to the Indian government following a civil lawsuit filed by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, which accuses India of plotting to assassinate him. Washington’s actions suggest that the concerns surrounding the Pannun case cannot be ignored, reflecting ongoing friction in bilateral relations as the legal process unfolds in the United States.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met with other Quad members. His meeting with the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese marked their ninth in-person meeting since May 2022. They discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation in defence, trade, education, climate change, and people-to-people ties. They also reiterated their commitment to elevating the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Finally, PM Modi bid farewell to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The two leaders reflected on their numerous interactions and acknowledged the progress made in the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, now in its 10th year.
Next week, we will cover the upcoming ASEAN summit in Vientiane, which will be held from October 6 to 11.
What we’re reading/listening to
[Podcast] Listen to Aditya Ramanathan and Manoj Kewalramani discuss “A Quad for all Seasons”. Stay for the grapevine and chatter.
[Opinion] If you haven’t been following the leadership elections in Japan, read Vanshika Saraf’s piece before you do
[Opinion] Tired of viewing the Quad through the same lens? Read Manoj Kewalramani’s piece on how the Chinese media and community view Quad.
[Book] Don’t have time to finish a book? Read The Best Short Stories of 2024, an annual story anthology of O Henry Prize Winners