Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in the United States for his three-day official visit during which he will hold several bilateral meetings and attend the strategic Quad summit. He is also scheduled to attend the the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit will start with a bilateral meeting between the United States and India, where he and Joe Biden will discuss several key issues in an effort to further strengthen India-US ties.
Several key agreements are likely to be signed during the bilateral meet. A multi-billion dollar deal in which India plans to acquire 31 predator drones from the US will also be discussed.
An announcement may be made about the India-US space collaboration, under which Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be travelling to the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission.
After the bilateral, PM Modi will attend the Quad summit with Mr Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. White House Spokesperson John Kirby has said China will be high on the agenda.
“In fact, it would be irresponsible if they didn’t talk about the challenges that still exist in the region caused by aggressive People’s Republic of China military action… for instance, unfair trade practices, tensions over the Taiwan Strait… I have no doubt that that all those issues will come up,” Mr Kirby said.
This year’s Quad summit is being held in US President Joe Biden’s hometown Wilmington, in US’s Delaware. This will be the last Quad Summit for US President Joe Biden, who is not seeking a second term in the top office. It will also be the last Summit for Japanese PM Fumio Kishida.
WHAT IS THE QUAD GROUPING, WHO ARE THE MEMBERS
The Quad, short for ‘Quadrilateral’, is a diplomatic strategic partnership between India, Australia, Japan, and the United States. The Quad grouping is committed to supporting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region that is inclusive and resilient.
The Quad assumes significance amid rising concerns over China’s aggressive posturing in the South China sea, Indian Ocean as well as the Pacific. The Quad cooperation is there to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific and to ensure that there is freedom of navigation of the seas and there is regard for international laws and adherence to a rules-based order.
The Quad has emerged as a key platform of like-minded countries focusing on peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, PM Modi said on Saturday before he left for the US.
FOCUS OF THE QUAD SUMMIT 2024
This year the Quad leaders will delve in areas of health security, climate change, emerging technologies, infrastructure, connectivity and counter-terrorism.
The Quad, which also focuses on other significant global concerns, will discuss in detail the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars.
The Quad summit has plans to expand the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness initiative from South East Asia to the Indian Ocean Region, the White House has said.
A formal announcement about the expansion will be made in Wilmington on Saturday, a senior administration official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
Besides the expansion, the partnership will now include “new sophisticated technologies to improve the maritime domain picture”, as well as new training programmes, the official said.
Another senior administration official said the expansion of the IPMDA to the Indian Ocean “provides opportunities, not just for Australia to coordinate with us in the Pacific, but also with India to coordinate more with a lot of our partners in the Indian Ocean region.”
“We believe you’ll see… that the Quad is more strategically aligned and more relevant than ever before,” John Kirby, White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Director told reporters.
2024 was India’s turn to host the Quad Summit. But following a request from Washington, India agreed to host the Summit next year.
