Quad to survive and thrive after Biden, Kishida

The fourth in-person Quad leaders’ summit was held in Wilmington, Delaware, the hometown of US President Joe Biden, on September 21, 2024 amid uncertainty about the grouping’s future.

The meeting marked the end of a certain era as the last gathering to include outgoing US President Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Quad partners agreed that the US and India would swap host years, which enables Biden to host the summit in his final year as president and India to host in 2025, providing an opportunity for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to host Quad leaders.

Another practical reason for holding the Quad in the US was that it provided a last opportunity for Kishida to attend before the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election on September 27 this year.

Kishida, who is not running for re-election, is attending his last diplomatic function as prime minister, together with Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, at the United Nations General Assembly.

Practical outcomes

The Wilmington Declaration further cements the Quad’s institutionalization efforts and visibility as a provider of public goods in the Indo-Pacific. The declaration introduced six new initiatives:

• The Quad Cancer Moonshot Initiative seeks to lower the Indo-Pacific region’s cancer death toll. Based on technologies pioneered in Queensland, Australia, the Quad countries will extend treatment choices and care, enhance access to tests, and encourage more HPV vaccines to fight cervical cancer, potentially saving the lives of millions of women.

• Increasing training and strengthening current capacities to guarantee that regional partners can continue strengthening their capacity to thwart illegal marine operations through the