News Brief
Quad: First Meeting Of Prime Ministers Of India, Japan And Australia, US President Could Take Place This Month
Swarajya Staff
Mar 05, 2021, 04:20 PM | Updated 04:20 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
The first meeting of the leaders of the countries part of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad could take place as early as this month, reports say.
The Biden administration, having put out an ‘interim guidance’ on national security earlier this week, has taken the initiative to set up the first meeting between the Prime Ministers of India, Japan and Australia and the President of the United States, a report in the Hindustan Times says.
The confirmation of the meeting, which will take place virtually, came from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who told reporters in Sydney today (5 March) that the Quad “will become a feature of Indo-Pacific engagement”.
“It will be four leaders, four countries, working together constructively for the peace, prosperity and stability of the Indo-Pacific,” Morrison said, without giving details on the timing of the talks between the leaders of Quad countries.
“So, I am looking forward to that first gathering of the Quad leaders. It will be the first ever such gathering,” Morrison added.
This development on Quad comes just a day after the Biden administration issued an ‘Interim National Security Strategic Guidance’.
The document says the US will deepen its partnership with India and engage with the Indo-Pacific to deal with the challenges in the region.
“...our vital national interests compel the deepest connection to the Indo-Pacific...,” it says, adding, “we will deepen our partnership with India...”
Biden’s guidance document says the US will “ support China’s neighbors” and work with “like-minded countries” to forge a common approach against China’s increasingly assertive and aggressive behaviour in the region.
It calls China the “only competitor” of the US which is potentially capable of using its “economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to mount a sustained challenge to a stable and open international system”.
The document was issued after Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered his first major speech underlining Biden’s foreign policy priorities.
Blinken called the US’ relationship with China the “biggest geopolitical test” of the 21st century. The US’ relationship with China, he said, “will be competitive when it should be, collaborative when it can be and adversarial when it must be”.
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.