US-backed 'Quad' quietly gathers steam as way to balance China's might

The resurgence of the Quad -- first conceived more than a decade ago during the Bush administration -- reflects growing unease over Chinese President Xi Jinping's more assertive foreign policy

Potentially the most important meeting in Asia this week isn’t on any official summit agenda, features no head of state and certainly doesn’t include China.

Senior officials from Australia, India, Japan and the US -- a set of countries known as “the Quad” -- plan to meet Thursday on the sidelines of a regional summit in Singapore. It will be only the third meeting of the group since its revival last year as a counterweight to China’s growing economic and military might.

The resurgence of the Quad -- first conceived more than a decade ago during the Bush administration --