Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders from the United States, Japan, and Australia met in person for the second time today in Tokyo.
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Modi stated that the Quad has quickly risen to prominence on the global stage, and that it is pursuing a constructive agenda for the Indo-Pacific region that will further enhance its image as a “force for good.”
PM Modi stated that the Quad member countries’ mutual coordination has improved in several areas, including vaccine delivery, climate action, supply chain resilience, disaster management, and economic cooperation. “In the Indo-Pacific, the quad grouping has ensured peace, prosperity, and stability,” he added.
The meeting was attended by US President Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Australia’s newly-elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in addition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
President Joe Biden stated that the United States will work with its “close domestic partners” to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region. “Russia’s assault on Ukraine only emphasises the importance of those goals of fundamental international order principles, territorial integrity, and sovereignty,” he said.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Kishida, has put the UN Charter’s principles to the test. “An incident like this should never happen in the Indo-Pacific region,” Prime Minister Kishida said.
Anthony Albanese, Australia’s Prime Minister, also promised more assistance to Pacific nations, including aid to strengthen “our defence and maritime cooperation.”
On the sidelines of the summit, PM Modi will meet separately with President Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida, and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
The Quad summit takes place at a time when regional discontent with Chinese military activities and coercive trade practices is growing. The leaders are looking for common ground to counter Beijing’s growing influence in the region.
The Quad Leaders will meet for the fourth time in Tokyo. In March of last year, President Biden hosted the first-ever virtual Quad summit, which was followed by an in-person summit in Washington in September. In March of this year, the Quad leaders held a virtual meeting.
In November 2017, India, Japan, the United States, and Australia gave shape to a long-awaited proposal to form the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the Indo-critical Pacific’s sea routes free of influence.
