Legislation introduced in US Congress to establisha Quad Interparliamentary Working Group

WASHINGTON, Sept 12: An influential American lawmaker on Monday introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to upgrade Quad and establish a Quad Interparliamentary Working Group with Japan, Australia and India.
It’s critical that democracies in the Indo-Pacific work together to uphold regional rules and deliver concrete benefits for the people of the region Today, Congressman Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said after introducing the “Strengthening the Quad Act” to upgrade the Quadrilateral Dialogue (Quad) and establish a Quad Interparliamentary Working Group with Japan, Australia, and India.
“President Biden deserves credit for elevating the Quad to the leader level, and regular Congressional engagement can further bolster the ties between the Quad countries,” he said.
My “Strengthening the Quad Act” calls for a comprehensive strategy to advance Quad cooperation. It also establishes a Quad Interparliamentary Working Group to enhance dialogue between the legislatures of the four Quad countries, Meeks said.
“The US Congress will work to maintain a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific by advocating for a positive and practical Quad agenda,” he said.
Observing that Biden’s decision to elevate the Quad to the leader’s level was critical to bolstering cooperation, and all four countries should work to ensure that the Quad Leaders’ Summit continues to take place regularly; the bill seeks to establish a Quad Intra-Parliamentary Working Group to facilitate closer cooperation on shared interests and values.
The formation of a Quad Intra-Parliamentary Working Group will sustain and deepen engagement between senior officials of the Quad countries on a full spectrum of issues; and be modelled on the successful and long-standing bilateral intra-parliamentary groups between the United States and Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom, as well as other formal and informal parliamentary exchanges.
According to the bill, the Quad countries, working through institutions, including the United States International Development Finance Corporation, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, and through partnerships with multilateral development banks such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, should finance development and infrastructure projects in the Indo-Pacific region that are competitive, transparent, and sustainable.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden last week stressed the importance of the Quad grouping in supporting a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific.
A joint statement issued after bilateral talks between Modi and Biden, who was in India to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit, said the Prime Minister looked forward to welcoming the US President to the next Quad Leaders’ Summit to be hosted by India in 2024.
The Quad, comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia, has been focusing on practical cooperation to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s increasing military muscle-flexing in the region. (PTI)

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