UPSC Articles
Quad Leaders’ Summit
Part of: GS-Prelims and GS-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
In News: At the Quad summit, leaders are expected to –
- Take stock of the progress made by the group since their virtual meeting in March and plan on extending their reach in the Indo-Pacific region, which has become important in US geopolitical strategy to face a confrontational China.
- The recent signing of the AUKUS pact between the U.S., U.K., and Australia makes it clear that new alliances are being worked in the region. The United States still remains a potent force even after the pullout from Afghanistan. The in-person Quad summit shows that U.S. involvement in the Indo-Pacific region seems to be growing in many ways.
- Likely to announce ways to work together to secure the semiconductor supply chain
- There are also signs that a new security architecture is in the works in the region. This includes players like the U.K., which recently sent a carrier group to the region. The French have also been very active in the region.
- The four countries are also likely to try to work on an alternative to the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This includes merging initiatives like the Japan’s “Partnership for Quality Infrastructure” and the Biden administration’s “Build Back Better World” Initiative.
- They are also looking at tying up on the tech front, especially in the field of telecommunications, as Chinese firms like Huawei are seen as security risks.
- Ahead of the first in-person Quad meeting, PM Modi and his Japanese counterpart Yoshihide Suga have reaffirmed their commitment towards a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, as they reviewed the multi-faceted bilateral relationship and exchanged views on recent global developments, including in Afghanistan.
- Quad is a strategic dialogue between the United States, Japan, Australia and India. The dialogue was initiated in 2007 by Japan. All these four countries have common interests in the Indo-Pacific region. It is seen as an emerging bloc of countries positioning itself as a check against China’s growing aggression in the Indo-Pacific and outside.
News Source: PIB