Geopolitical experts hail timing of maiden Quad leaders' level summit

According to experts in geopolitics, the Quad leaders’ level summit is happening at a time when China’s hegemony and expansionist policies are increasingly criticized by major powers.

New Delhi: Commenting on the first leaders’ level summit of the Quad nations, former diplomat Jitendra Tripathi opined that the summit is the first of its kind and the ‘Quad’ — Quadrilateral Security Dialogue — is now more than 13-years-old.

"In the last three years, it has made major strides and landslide progress. It has been institutionalized and during the last three years, there have been six meetings of senior officials at the foreign and defence ministerial level. Therefore, the meeting is going to be very crucial," he said.

“Quad is happening at a time when China’s hegemony and expansionist policies are being criticized by everyone. China is like a wounded animal. Not only that, but China has also got its problems including food shortage, opposition to Chinese debt trade diplomacy and the problem of the Chinese production house."

"A few months back President Xi Jinping has already told Chinese people to have an inward look which means to develop the domestic market instead of focusing on the external market. This reflects that China’s position is not as good as it projects,” Tripathi told ETV Bharat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today took part in the first meeting of Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) leaders, along with US President Joe Biden, Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

ETV Bharat has learnt that during Friday’s virtual summit 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.

The quad is a platform comprising of likeminded nations-India, Australia, the United States and Japan that see growing tensions with China spreading its venom over ample issues in the region. Therefore, the Quad is aimed at enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region to counter Chinese aggression.

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On being asked what can be expected as an outcome from the Quad leaders’ summit, Tripathi said: “Certainly there would be broad consensus on the Covid vaccine production and its supply chain. Secondly, all the four participants will agree that Indo-Pacific should be kept open and free.”

Earlier this week Professor Harsh V Pant, International Relations, King's College London and Director, Strategic Studies, Observer Research Foundation told ETV Bharat that the first leaders’ level summit of Quad nations signifies the four countries' look at China and the changing balance of power in the region with a great degree of consternation. And there is a resolve amongst the four countries to get their act together, as well as make this (quad) form the focal point of wider regional engagement.

In fact, the Quad meeting would be United States President Joe Biden’s earliest plurilateral summits preceded only by a meeting of the G7 leaders, held less than two months after he took office.

According to reports, the meeting will begin with initial remarks of the four leaders, followed by a closed-door meeting and an outcome statement.

In his address during the Quad meeting, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to highlight India’s vaccine initiatives. According to sources, the vaccine initiative will allow new manufacturing capacity to be added in India for exports to the Indo-Pacific region.

Moreover, Modi is also expected to speak of India’s vaccine maître initiatives under which, India has sent across a million doses of vaccines to its neighbouring countries and others. India is likely to project itself as ‘the pharmacy of the world’.

Besides, the leaders will discuss ongoing efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and explore opportunities for collaboration in ensuring safe, equitable and affordable vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region.

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It is noteworthy that ahead of the Quad meeting, statements from the United States, Australia and Japan reflects the concern that this nation has regarding threats emanating from China in the Indo-Pacific. It talks about the strong stance regarding safeguarding the region from Chinese aggression.

Earlier this week, the US had strongly pointed out that it was important for the Biden administration to underline the importance and commitment it holds for the Indo-Pacific.

“It was important for us to underline in the early days of this administration our commitment to the Indo-Pacific. As we have said from this podium, it’s a region that holds tremendous promise for the United States, also a tremendous challenge”, the US State Department added.

The virtual meeting is expected to last for two hours and pave the path for an in-person meeting later in the year.

Most interestingly, in the backdrop of the Quad nations gearing up to strengthen their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region to counter Chinese influence, the 21st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs was being held today.

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According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control in the western sector and had in-depth discussions on the remaining issues along the LAC in the western sector.

They agreed that the completion of the disengagement in North and South Bank of the Pangong Lake provided a good basis for the two sides to work towards early resolution of the remaining issues.