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The Quad Plus Dialogue is held every quarter, since 2013 and the Vivekananda International Foundation has been the designated think tank representing India since the inception of this dialogue. Apart from VIF, the other think tanks from Quad members include JII, Japan; Heritage Foundation, USA and ASPI, Australia. RSIS, Singapore and Chatham House, UK also attended the meeting as Quad Plus members. The meeting focussed on the review of recent developments with the Quad/Free and Open Indo-Pacific and recommendations for the Quad and Quad Plus Dialogue moving forward.

There were reservations about the next US administration’s focus on Quad and called for more unity and collective action. All participants were critical of China's assertiveness and aggression in the Indo-Pacific and welcomed the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting in Tokyo and the Malabar naval exercises of the four countries. The divergences included with respect to how to deal with China. The participants also discussed on how to keep ASEAN centrality in the Indo Pacific. Participants had differing views on whether the Quad should be formalised and institutionalised.