US passes Quad Bill to strengthen cooperation with partner countries

Washington DC: The United States House of Representatives on Thursday (local time) passed the 'Quad Bill' which aims to establish a working group for bolstering cooperation between the partner countries.

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, also known as the Quad, is a coalition comprised of the United States, Japan, Australia and India.

This bill directs the US State Department to seek to establish a working group with Japan, Australia, and India to facilitate closer cooperation on shared interests and values.

It also requires the State Department to report to Congress a strategy for bolstering engagement and cooperation with the Quad.

The strategy shall address cooperation on issues including; preparing for the next pandemic, co-developing new innovative technologies, and deepening economic engagement and integration, according to the US House of Representatives website.
https://x.com/HouseForeign/status/1758249462768509175?s=20

US Representative Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee welcomed the overwhelming passage of the bill and said that Quad has been integral to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific.

"I am proud to have advanced my legislation, the Strengthening the Quad Act, through the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue between the United States, Japan, Australia and India has been integral to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, advancing US interests in the region, and bolstering our national security," Meeks said in a statement.

"My legislation works to ensure the Quad's success and longevity by calling on the State Department to develop a strategy on bolstering democratic coordination in the Indo-Pacific region, and establishes a Quad Intra-Parliamentary Working Group to facilitate greater engagement and cooperation among the four legislatures," he added.

Quad is a plurilateral framework comprising India, Australia, Japan, and the USA, with a shared commitment to upholding a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Notably, the next Quad Leaders' Summit is proposed to be held in India in 2024, but the dates are yet to be decided.