Quad

The Quad, formally the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a diplomatic grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States. Its roots lie in the joint humanitarian and disaster relief the four countries provided after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. In 2007 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposed a more formal meeting, and the four nations gathered that May on the sidelines of an ASEAN Regional Forum meeting in the Philippines. The dialogue lapsed in 2008 after Australia withdrew.

Leaders of the four countries agreed to revive it at the ASEAN summits in Manila in 2017, and the first formal Quad summit was held in 2021. Its stated aim is a free and open Indo-Pacific. Members say it is not directed against any one country, although it is widely seen as a response to China’s growing influence in the region.

It is in the news in November 2026 because two people familiar with the planning told Reuters that the four leaders are expected to meet in Manila on 17 November, which would be their first summit in two years. No government has confirmed the meeting.

Sources: Wikipedia, The Week