International Relations17 Oct 2026 · about 6 min

Quad exploring leaders’ meet on margins of Asean

The brief

The Quad is a grouping of four countries: India, Australia, Japan and the United States. Its leaders discuss shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific, including economic security, energy, connectivity and strategic infrastructure. The grouping matters because its members want to maintain high-level coordination on issues affecting the region. The article describes plans for a possible Quad leaders’ summit. Such a meeting would bring together the heads of government from all four member states. The proposal is intended to ensure that the grouping remains supported by its top political leadership, rather than operating only through lower-level or ministerial meetings. The summit has already faced delays of more than a year. The four countries are now exploring a meeting alongside the Asean Summit in the Philippines in November. They also want the event to produce outcomes, not merely serve as a symbolic display of continued commitment.

What is the Quad, and which four countries belong to it?

The article describes plans for a possible Quad leaders’ summit. Such a meeting would bring together the heads of government from all four member states. The proposal is intended to ensure that the grouping remains supported by its top political leadership, rather than operating only through lower-level or ministerial meetings.

The summit has already faced delays of more than a year. The four countries are now exploring a meeting alongside the Asean Summit in the Philippines in November. They also want the event to produce outcomes, not merely serve as a symbolic display of continued commitment.

What leaders’ meeting are the Quad countries considering, and where might it take place?

The proposed meeting is a Quad leaders’ summit. It would involve the heads of India, Australia, Japan and the United States. The summit has been delayed for more than a year, so arranging it would restore a top-level meeting that the members have been trying to hold.

The possible venue is Manila, where the Philippines will host the Asean Summit and related meetings during November 16-18. Holding the Quad meeting on the margins means leaders could meet during the same trip and diplomatic schedule. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to the Philippines during November 16-17 for related meetings, including the India-Asean Summit.

The plan is not final. It depends on US President Donald Trump attending the Asean meetings. The four members are also working to make sure the summit produces outcomes rather than functioning only as a symbolic gathering.

How many countries are in the Quad, and how many of their leaders would take part in the proposed summit?

The Quad contains four countries: India, Australia, Japan and the United States. A Quad leaders’ summit would therefore bring together four heads of government, one from each member state. The meeting is designed to keep the grouping’s highest political leadership directly engaged.

The article identifies Narendra Modi as the Indian leader expected to travel to the Philippines. It also says the proposal depends on Donald Trump’s presence at the Asean meetings. The other two participating countries are Australia and Japan, whose leaders would complete the four-member gathering if the summit goes ahead.

The number is small, but the intended role is significant. The members want to signal continued top-level commitment and develop outcomes on economic security, energy, connectivity and strategic infrastructure. The article does not name the Australian or Japanese leaders or describe any final decisions.

Why would the meeting be held on the margins of the Asean Summit rather than as a separate event?

The Quad countries are considering a meeting on the margins of the Asean Summit because their own leaders’ summit has been delayed for more than a year. Leaders from the four countries are already expected to gather in the Philippines for Asean-related meetings. Using that occasion could create a practical opportunity for them to meet.

The article points to shifting diplomatic priorities and scheduling problems as earlier obstacles. India tried several times to arrange the summit, but uncertainty about Donald Trump’s travel plans prevented those efforts from succeeding. A meeting alongside the Asean gathering could reduce the need to coordinate a separate trip and date for all four leaders.

The arrangement would also send a political message. The members want to demonstrate continued commitment by their top leadership. However, they do not want a purely ceremonial meeting. They are working toward outcomes connected to the Quad’s current agenda in the Indo-Pacific.

Why is the proposed summit dependent on whether the US president attends the Asean meetings?

The proposed Quad summit is tied to the US president’s attendance because it would be held on the margins of the Asean Summit and related meetings in Manila. If Donald Trump does not attend those events, the planned occasion for bringing all four Quad leaders together may disappear. His participation is therefore a practical condition for the proposal.

The article says the Philippines’ president’s office expected Trump to attend. However, people familiar with the discussions warned that his travel plans could depend on the outcome of US mid-term elections scheduled for the first Tuesday in November. This uncertainty has already affected efforts to arrange the Quad meeting.

India tried several times to hold the summit in the previous year, but unclear plans for Trump’s travel stymied those efforts. The Manila proposal offers a new chance, but it remains contingent on his presence. Until his attendance is clear, the summit cannot be treated as confirmed.

Why has the Quad leaders’ summit been delayed for more than a year, and when was the last one held?

The Quad leaders’ summit was delayed for more than a year because of shifting diplomatic priorities and scheduling problems. The political transition in the United States after Donald Trump’s election made planning more difficult. India was originally scheduled to host the summit in 2025, but repeated efforts did not produce a meeting.

A key obstacle was uncertainty about Trump’s travel plans. India tried several times to arrange the gathering, but the lack of clarity about whether the US president would travel prevented those plans from moving forward. The article also links possible future travel decisions to the outcome of US mid-term elections.

The most recent Quad leaders’ summit took place in Wilmington in September 2024. Former US president Joe Biden hosted it. The four members are now considering holding the next leaders’ meeting alongside the Asean Summit in Manila, provided Trump attends the related events.

What practical consequences could a Quad leaders’ summit have for economic security, energy, connectivity and strategic infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific?

A Quad leaders’ summit could give the four countries’ current agenda stronger political backing. The article says recent discussions have focused on economic security, energy, connectivity and strategic infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific. A leaders’ meeting could therefore help demonstrate that these issues remain priorities for India, Australia, Japan and the United States.

The key mechanism would be agreement among the top leaders. The four countries are working to ensure that any summit is not merely symbolic and produces some outcomes. Those outcomes could reflect the agenda already under discussion, but the article does not identify specific projects, funding, agreements or timelines. It also does not claim that any decision has been reached.

The immediate consequence would be a public signal of continued commitment to the grouping. A successful meeting could keep cooperation focused on the newer economic and strategic priorities. It would also mark a shift from healthcare and the “cancer moonshot,” which had greater prominence under the Biden administration but have recently fallen by the wayside.

This brief was written by AI from the original reporting and checked by other models. Names, figures and quotes come from the source; read it for full context.