First Meeting Of Prime Ministers Of India, Japan And Australia, US President Under Quad Framework On 12 March: MEA

In a move to further enhance co-operation in the Indo-Pacific region, the top leaders of US, India, Japan and Australia are set to hold first meeting of ‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’, also known as the Quad dialogue, in a virtual fashion on 12 March, reports Economic Times.

The move comes amid rising global concerns over China and its growing assertiveness in the region.

Announcing the summit, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “PM Narendra Modi will be participating, along with Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihide Suga and US President Joseph R Biden, in the first Leaders’ Summit of the Quadrilateral Framework, being held virtually on 12th March 2021.”

“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. 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,” added the MEA statement.

Known officially as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the Quad grouping first came into being in 2004 in response to the Indian Ocean tsunami. Thereafter though, the group's activities were revived in 2017 to move beyond the areas of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and to focus on advancing the efforts to ensure a "free, open and inclusive" Indo-Pacific.

It should be noted that the US' former Secretary of State Michael Pompeo had stated after the meeting of the foreign ministers of the grouping in bygone October to "institutionalise" the Quad. He had then stated that the grouping has the capacity to "push back against the Chinese Communist Party".