By Atul Aneja New Delhi, March 10: Japan has sounded an alarm about Chinas regional intent ahead of the May 12 summit of the Quad grouping, which also includes India, Australia and the US, that is likely to take place later this week.
In a pro-active move, Japan’s Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide spoke for around 40 minutes with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi where the two leaders recognised that it was increasingly important to recognise the importance of a “Free and open Indo-Pacific”. In plain language, the two leaders were focused on the threat posed by China to the status quo in the Indo-pacific—a geographic space on either side of the Malacca straits. The Malacca straits link the Indian and the Pacific Oceans and is major choke point of the east-west international trade.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday night formally announced that PM Modi will participate with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Joe Biden in the “first Leaders’ Summit of the Quadrilateral Framework, being held virtually.” Besides discussing regional and global issues of shared interest, the leaders will “exchange views on practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific”.
Significantly, the Leaders’ dialogue will go beyond security issues and discuss establishment of new supply chains—an issue that was highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic after the world realised the dangers of critical overdependence on China.
The Quad summit will be an opportunity to exchange views on “contemporary challenges such as resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security, and climate change,” the statement added.
Related stories
Subscribe
- Never miss a story with notifications
- Gain full access to our premium content
- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once
Latest stories