What does a US-led Quad leadership summit imply?

Research Fellow and Centre Coordinator East Asia Centre The Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi Dr. Jagannath Panda

China has remained at the top of USʼ foreign policy agenda under the new Biden administration, with a bipartisan consensus having emerged in Washington as to the threat posed by Beijingʼs revisionism. President Joe Biden has already demonstrated his administrationʼs continued support to nascent security mechanisms in the Indo-Pacific - particularly the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue （Quad 2.0） that brings together Australia, India and Japan alongside the US. Bidenʼs National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, has stated that the Quad will remain a “fundamental” grouping in US outlook, calling it a “foundation upon which to build substantial American policy” towards the Indo-Pacific. To further such synergy, Biden has reportedly called for a Quad Leadership Summit （QLS） - which would be the first ever meeting of leaders of Quad nations – to upgrade the security dialogue from its current Ministerial level status. How can the creation of the QLS further the Quad narrative in the Indo-Pacific?