September 24, 2021

Co-Chairs of Japan, Australia and India Congressional Caucuses Release Joint Statement on Heads of State Quad Summit

WASHINGTON – Ahead of the Heads of State Quad Summit today, Reps. Joaquin Castro and Adrian Smith, the Democratic and Republican co-chairs of the U.S.-Japan Congressional Caucus; Reps. Joe Courtney and Mike Gallagher, the House Democratic and Republican co-chairs of the Friends of Australia Congressional Caucus; and Reps. Brad Sherman and Steve Chabot, the Democratic and Republican co-chairs of the Congressional India Caucus, released the following joint statement:

“As the Democratic and Republican co-chairs of the Congressional Caucuses for Japan, Australia, and India, we welcome the first in-person Heads of State meeting of the Quad, convened by President Joseph R. Biden and attended by Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide of Japan, Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. This historic meeting offers a critical opportunity to deepen cooperation with our Quad partners on security, economics, governance, global health, and human rights issues to advance our shared interests in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.”

“The Quad summit builds on critical momentum from earlier this year. From the virtual Heads of State summit, Vaccine Partnership, and Supply Chain Resilience Initiative earlier this spring, to the successful Exercise MALABAR last month, the Quad is taking critical steps to expand technological cooperation and military interoperability. In recent years, Japan, Australia, and India, along with countless other nations across the Indo-Pacific and beyond have all been the targets of attempted economic coercion from the People’s Republic of China. The Quad is ideally positioned to build a blueprint for collective resilience against this type of aggression and assist others facing similar challenges.”

“The Quad also has an important opportunity to engage with multilateral organizations in the Indo-Pacific, particularly ASEAN. There are also countless areas to expand cooperation between the Quad and the European Union, as well as other regional organizations in places like the Pacific Islands. This cooperation could include natural areas of mutual interest such as technology and global infrastructure.”

“As strong supporters of United States cooperation with Japan, Australia, and India, we are excited for the Quad to deepen its cooperation across a wide range of fields this week. It is important to use opportunities such as this to expand the substance and reach of this important partnership. We in Congress stand ready to assist in this effort.”