This past month President Biden hosted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Kishida Fumio of Japan and Narendra Modi of India in Delaware, kicking off the fourth in-person Quad Leaders Summit.

Article by Avery Junker, Junior White House Correspondent 

Wilmington, Del. - On September 21st, President Biden hosted the fourth in-person Quad Leaders Summit in Delaware, his residential state. This marks the sixth time the group has come together, including two virtual appointments. 

President Biden, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Kishida Fumio of Japan, and Narendra Modi of India met to discuss the stability of the Indo-Pacific. This project focuses on global health, humanitarian aid, maritime security, resistant infrastructure, technological innovation, climate change, and cyber security. Within these concepts are physical plans of action that the four states are committed to working through collectively. 

What is now recognized internationally as a distinct partnership, has developed over time. Established in 2004, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad was created to deliver humanitarian aid in the wake of the Indian Ocean Tsunami. An undertaking that lasted roughly a year. In 2007, the then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saw an opportunity to transition what was relief into a conversation. After a failed attempt, he tried once more in 2012 urging the same four nations to come together. In 2017, his proposal was granted, and the quad was reestablished to counter China’s dominance in the Indo-Pacific. 

The fourth in-person summit established and reaffirmed policies that align with the Quad's collective goals. A joint statement from the four leaders expressed a need to protect the free status of the Indo-Pacific Ocean as well as a balance of power in the region. Additionally, many new initiatives were unveiled, covering topics from global warming to technological advancement in space.

Two specific initiatives focus on the protection of the free sea. The Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI) utilizes new and existing tools to protect the freedom of the water, and in congruence with the Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission which is set to break waves in 2025, the four powers hope to ensure safety across the ocean. A third reflects the collaborative nature of the four powers coined the Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project, which creates a uniform airlift procedure, in response to humanitarian disasters (U.S. Embassy & Consulates in India, 2024). In addition to these policies, the four powers reaffirmed past declarations and provided clarity for action moving forward.

The contents of this declaration and the general sentiment of the leaders are articulated succinctly in their joint statement.

“As Leaders, we are steadfast in our conviction that international law, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the maintenance of peace, safety, security and stability in the maritime domain, underpin the sustainable development, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific”. 

These ideas combine the collective sentiment of the nations and their collaborative ideas on how to better ensure security and safety across the region.

The Wilmington Quad Leaders Summit will be the last time the four powers meet during President Biden’s administration and one of only a few final opportunities for Biden to cement his place in international politics. The progress they made and have made in the past four years will be remembered alongside his name in the international community.

The next Quad Leaders Summit is set for 2025 and will be hosted by India, however, its specific location is still undetermined.  Until then the four powers will work towards the goals they outlined in the 2024 summit.