US NSA congratulates inaugural Quad fellows; says they would bring members closer

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has congratulated the first cohort of 100 Quad Fellows from Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, saying these young people will bring the Quad members closer.

Leaders of Quad countries in May this year launched the QUAD Fellowship - a first-of-its-kind scholarship programme designed to build ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists from the four member nations.

The Fellowship sponsors 100 students per year - 25 from each Quad country - to pursue masters and doctoral degrees at leading STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) graduate universities in the United States.

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“Today we are proud to welcome a group of 100 diverse, interdisciplinary, inspiring, and exceptional students – 25 from each Quad country – who are the next generation of great STEM minds,” Sullivan said in a statement on Friday.

He praised the participation of the fellows.

“Each of them has demonstrated their commitment to advancing innovation and collaboration among our four great democracies and an enthusiasm for building a better tomorrow for the Indo-Pacific and the world,” he said.

Under President Joe Biden, the Quad partnership has been elevated to unprecedented heights and it will only grow in the coming years. These young people will bring the Quad closer together and with them leading the way, we are confident our future is in good hands,” Sullivan added.

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The four countries - Australia, India, Japan, and the United States - had in 2017 given shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the "Quad" or the Quadrilateral coalition to counter China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its man-made islands in the past few years.

Beijing claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims. In the East China Sea, China has territorial disputes with Japan.