The Quad Countries is a group of countries composed of the United States, Japan, India, and Australia. The Quad dialogues were initially also about military exercises and ensuring security in the Indo-Pacific region. New dialogues are expanding to include climate change and the goal of decarbonization at a rapid pace.
On Friday, the first in-person meeting of the Quad nations took place. A partnership agreement on securing critical infrastructure is to be concluded in Washington, states the White House.
A major theme of the conference was connecting Australian raw minerals and processing opportunities for customers in the United States, India, and Japan.
Australia plays a key role in the supply of important raw minerals. This could be a solution to the supply chain bottlenecks that exist at the moment. Australia is the second-largest supplier of rare earth after China. In addition, Australia is also a major supplier of minerals used in batteries for electric vehicles, such as nickel, copper, and cobalt, making Australia an important part of the supply chain for future technologies.
Without mentioning China by name, security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region were cited. Countries in the region should abide by rules to ensure security and stability. China has repeatedly shown military presence in the region in the recent past.
In 2022, Australia will host the Clean Energy Supply Chain Summit. The goal is to develop a roadmap for building a supply chain in the Indo-Pacific region.
The supply chain of semiconductors was also addressed. Especially in the semiconductor industry, there has been a bottleneck this year that has caused difficulties for many automakers. Many automakers have had to cut production output due to supply problems in Asia caused by repeated COVID-19 outbreaks.