In a significant development for the region, the Quadrilateral Strategic Dialogue (“the Quad”) between India, Australia, Japan and the U.S. held its first Minister-level meeting since it was revived in 2017.  

• The group is seen as a regional counter-weight to China and has only met at the Joint or Assistant Secretary level since 2017.  
• Members of the Quad, barring Australia, are currently engaged in the annual Malabar exercises – military exercises that started between India and the U.S. in 1994 and became trilateral (with Japan) in 2015.  

• India has not permitted Australia to participate in these exercises, concerned about what message it would send to China, which is wary of the exercise. 

Source: The Hindu