When the Quad was reinstituted by Australia, the United States, Japan, and India in late 2017, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi mocked it as a “headline-grabbing idea” that would “dissipate like sea foam”. Several south-east Asian countries openly expressed concern that the grouping of democracies could be provocative, divisive and challenge the cherished status of the Association of South-East Asian Nations.

Some four years later, the Quad certainly hasn’t dissipated. It is alive, thriving, and increasingly supported by ASEAN states. In the middle of a pandemic, Quad leaders met twice last year – virtually and then face-to-face. The meeting of the four foreign ministers in person on Friday is further evidence of the Quad’s significance and status.