The Quad, officially the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a group of four countries: the United States, Australia, India, and Japan. Maritime cooperation among them began after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. But today the countries—all democracies and vibrant economies—work on a far broader agenda, which includes tackling security, economic, and health issues.
It is a grouping that includes the world’s oldest and largest democracies and represents a combined GDP of $34 trillion, or 40 percent of the global total. No wonder, the Quad grouping comprising the US, Australia, Japan, and India has made the world sit up and take notice although China has termed it an ‘Asian NATO’. While experts have commented on the grouping’s China focus, here’s a look at how the Quad came together and what it proposes to achieve as the leaders of the four countries gear up for their first in-person summit later this month.
Currently, the combined GDP among the Quad countries sits at a whopping $34 trillion, with Washington making up the largest share, followed by Japan, India, and Australia, all of which have recently been in China’s crosshairs.
