Quad Summit: Ukraine, Gaza and cancer fight on agenda at Joe Biden’s farewell Quad Summit

Leaders of India, Australia, Japan and the United States are set to meet this weekend for the annual Quad Summit, which is expected to focus on the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, maritime security, emerging technologies and an ambitious cancer-fighting initiative.

The Summit will take place on September 21 in Delaware, the hometown of outgoing US President Joe Biden, who will meet PM Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Originally conceptualised in 2007, the Quad had remained dormant for a decade before it was revived in 2017 when Donald Trump — the Republican candidate in the 2024 United States elections — was the US President. Under Joe Biden, who prioritised international alliances following the isolationist approach of the Trump era, the Quad gained momentum. Since 2021, the leaders have met four times.

Incidentally, the fifth Summit was supposed to be hosted by India. However, scheduling conflicts amongst the four leaders led to the host nation being changed to the United States, allowing President Joe Biden — who recently dropped out of the US presidential election race — to bid farewell to the other leaders on his home soil.

India will host the Summit next year, with a US official noting, “India was scheduled to host but as we looked at all four of these leaders’ schedules, we became increasingly clear that the best way to make sure that they met and had the time they wanted to have these discussions would be this weekend here in the US… PM Modi graciously agreed to swap host years with us and we do expect all four Quad leaders to meet in India next year.”

Widely seen as a measure to counter China’s rising influence, Indian officials have repeatedly stressed that the Quad is a diplomatic — and not a military — alliance.

According to a vision statement released during last year’s Summit, the Quad aims to “support a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient” and seeks a region that is “peaceful and prosperous, stable and secure, and respectful of sovereignty – free from intimidation and coercion, and where disputes are settled in accordance with international law”.

WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA?

The Quad summit in Delaware will feature ambitious announcements in multiple areas such as maritime security, high-quality infrastructure and critical and emerging technologies to demonstrate the group’s endurance, a top White House official has said.

The Quad’s agenda would be stepped-up security cooperation in the Indian Ocean and progress to track illegal fishing fleets operating in the waters of the Indo-Pacific. The leaders are also expected to discuss the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

“This year’s Quad Summit will feature ambitious announcements in the areas in which the Quad has grown and is used to working and where Indo-Pacific partners prioritise the Quad’s delivery. These include health security, humanitarian and disaster response, maritime security, high-quality infrastructure, critical and emerging technologies, climate and clean energy, and cyber security,” Mira Rapp-Hooper, White House National Security Council Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania said.

Speaking ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, India foreign secretary Vikram Misri had said the leaders will discuss ways to expand cooperation among the member nations to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific besides deliberating on the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. “We expect new initiatives to be announced,” Misri also said.

Separately, the four leaders are expected to launch a “moonshot” initiative to prevent, detect, treat and alleviate the impact of cancer on patients and their families.

Along with attending the Quad Summit, PM Narendra Modi is also expected to hold one-on-one meetings with various leaders, speak at an Indian diaspora event, and address the “Summit of the Future” at the United Nations General Assembly.