Quad Plus in Europe and Asia

New Partnership Architectures in the Indo-Pacific: Quad Plus Europe

The revival of the Quadrilateral Strategic Dialogue has brought together the United States, Japan, Australia, and India to discuss cooperation across a wide range of issues in the Indo-Pacific region and sparked discussions about how this forum might be broadened to include European partners. Quad countries see potential for cooperation with like-minded European countries on key regional political, economic, and security matters. In Europe, attention to the Indo-Pacific has increased within individual countries as well at the level of the European Union, which released its EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in April 2021. Despite differences in capacities and focus areas, all European actors favor diversification of partnerships and recognize that Quad countries can play an important role in this process.

GMF Asia’s work aims to generate concrete ideas for cooperation and coordination between Europe and the Quad partners, particularly in three critical areas: Indian Ocean security, infrastructure and digital connectivity, and critical technology and supply chains. 

Exploring the “Quad Plus” Framework: Quad Plus South Korea Partnership

South Korea’s approach to the Indo-Pacific is evolving as it seeks to diversify its economic and strategic partnerships through its New Southern Policy, particularly focusing on South and Southeast Asia. The three key pillars of the New Southern Policy – people, prosperity, and peace – align closely with the Quad’s focus on infrastructure development, digital connectivity, and economic alternatives, creating opportunities for deeper collaboration among South Korea, the United States, Japan, India, and Australia. There are also prospects for security cooperation between South Korea and Quad countries as the United States pursues a networked approach to working with its allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

The GMF Asia Program focuses on analyzing potential areas of cooperation between South Korea and the Quad countries, including the opportunities for South Korea to plug into the Quad’s working groups on vaccines, climate, and technology and South Korea’s role in a networked regional security architecture.