EXPLAINER: What’s the 4-nation Quad, where did it come from?

By AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Leaders of the U.S., Japan, Australia and India gathered in Tokyo on Tuesday for a summit of what’s known as the Quad. The name comes from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. It began as a loose partnership after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, when the four countries provided humanitarian and disaster assistance. It was formalized by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007, but then fell dormant until it was resurrected in 2017. Both the Trump and Biden administrations saw the Quad as a key way to place more focus on the Indo-Pacific region, particularly as a counterweight to China’s assertive actions