Quad to focus on vaccine supply in Indo-Pacific region

The maiden Quad Summit in physical format on September 24 is expected to discuss how to better distribute vaccines to developing economies to counter Chinese vaccine diplomacy, taking forward the decision in the virtual summit (held in March) on one billion vaccines for the Indo-Pacific region by 2022.

The four leaders are expected to focus on vaccine distribution in the Indo-Pacific region where China has been able to cut deals to send vaccines, ET has learnt. Some of the countries in this region did not find any option but to opt for Chinese vaccines amid rising Covid cases this year, officials told ET on the condition of anonymity.

The US Development Finance Cooperation is supporting the Biological E Limited based at Hyderabad in India to increase capacity to produce by the end of 2022 at least one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines, including the one developed by Johnson & Johnson for the Indo-Pacific region. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) also pledged to provide a concessional yen loan to India to expand manufacturing of the Covid-19 vaccines for export.


The four countries held their first meeting in March virtually, pledged to work closely on Covid-19 vaccine distribution, climate issues and security to balance China’s presence in the region. At the September 24 summit, they will review their earlier pledges, according to persons familiar with the development.

The Quad vaccine initiative lost momentum after India was hit by a devastating second wave of Covid-19 infections between March and May. The initiative has picked up pace henceforth and officials from four countries have held meetings at regular intervals to firm up the plan.

The Quad had made a commitment to set up a Vaccine Experts Quad Group comprising prominent scientists and government officials from all four countries. The mandate for the group is to impart each government’s Covid-19 planning to ensure last-mile delivery in difficult-to-access communities, and support organizations such as the World Health Organization and its COVAX initiative, which is currently playing a critical role in vaccine management and distribution. The immediate execution of the vaccine group’s commitments could be a priority for the Quad amid Chinese vaccine roll out in SE Asia, according to one of the persons familiar with the development.

The Quad also sees India’s role in extending vaccine coverage in the neighbourhood as imperative. A White House statement issued on March 12 had said that Quad partners are working collaboratively to achieve “expanded manufacturing of safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines at facilities in India, prioritizing increased capacity for vaccines authorized by Stringent Regulatory Authorities (SRA)”. Japan, through JICA, is also in discussions to provide ‘concessional yen loans’ to the Indian government to expand manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccines for export.