The leaders of India, the US, Japan and Australia will hold their first summit in a virtual format on March 12 under the framework of the Quadrilateral coalition or Quad, in a major push to further expand cooperation in the Indo-Pacific amid growing Chinese assertiveness in the region.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the leaders will discuss regional and global issues of shared interest, and exchange views on practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be participating, along with Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison and Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihide Suga and President of USA Joseph R Biden, in the first Leaders’ Summit of the Quadrilateral Framework, being held virtually on March 12,” the MEA said in a statement.
It said the summit will provide an opportunity to exchange views on contemporary challenges such as resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security, and climate change.
The Financial Times had reported on March 3 that the Quad countries were developing a plan for distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Asia “as part of a broader strategy to counter China’s influence”.
The other topics that could be discussed at the meeting will be resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security, and climate change.
