.
The
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (
QSD, also known as the
Quad) is an
informal strategic dialogue between the
United States, Japan, Australia and
India that is maintained by talks between member countries. The dialogue was initiated in
2007 by
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, with the support of
Vice President Dick Cheney of the US,
Prime Minister John Howard of Australia and
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India. The dialogue was paralleled by
joint military exercises of an
unprecedented scale, titled
Exercise Malabar. The diplomatic and military arrangement was widely viewed as a response to increased Chinese economic and military power, and the Chinese government responded to the Quadrilateral dialogue by issuing formal diplomatic protests to its members.
The
QSD ceased following the
withdrawal of Australia during Kevin Rudd’s tenure as prime minister, reflecting
ambivalence in Australian policy over the
growing tension between the United States and China in the Asia-Pacific. Following Rudd's replacement by
Julia Gillard in 2010,
enhanced military cooperation between the United States and Australia was resumed, leading to the placement of
US Marines near Darwin, Australia, overlooking the
Timor Sea and
Lombok Strait. India, Japan, and the United States continue to hold joint naval exercises through
Malabar.
During the
2017 ASEAN Summits in
Manila, all four former members led by
Shinzo Abe,
Narendra Modi,
Malcolm Turnbull, and DJT agreed to revive the quadrilateral alliance in order to counter China militarily and diplomatically in the
South China Sea. Tensions between Quad members and China have led to fears of what was dubbed by some commentators as "a
new Cold War" in the region.
In a
2021 joint statement,
"The Spirit of the Quad," Quad members described "a
shared vision for a
Free and Open Indo-Pacific," and a "rules-based maritime order in the
East and
South China Seas," which Quad members state are needed to counter Chinese maritime claims. The Quad pledged to respond to COVID-19, and held a first Quad Plus meeting that included representatives from
New Zealand, South Korea and
Vietnam to work on its response to it. Widely viewed as intending to
curb "China's growing power," the Quad's joint statement drew criticism from China's foreign ministry, which said the Quad "openly incites discord" among regional powers in Asia
Anglosphere - CANZUK ..
