The 'Quad Bill' was passed by the United States House of Representatives on Thursday (local time) with the aim of creating a working group to enhance collaboration among partner countries.
The Quad, formally known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, consists of the United States, Japan, Australia, and India.
This legislation instructs the US State Department to pursue the creation of a working group with Japan, Australia, and India to promote stronger collaboration on common interests and principles.
The State Department is also obligated to provide Congress with a plan for strengthening involvement and collaboration with the Quad.
The plan will cover collaboration on topics such as readiness for future pandemics, jointly creating new advanced technologies, and enhancing economic involvement and unity, as stated on the US House of Representatives website.
US Congressman Gregory Meeks, the leading member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed his satisfaction with the bill's strong approval, emphasizing the Quad's crucial role in advancing 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.
The Quad is a multilateral arrangement consisting of India, Australia, Japan, and the USA, all dedicated to supporting an open, inclusive, and free Indo-Pacific region, as stated by the Ministry of External Affairs.
The upcoming Quad Leaders' Summit is suggested to take place in India in 2024, although the specific dates have not been determined.
