NEW DELHI: Sending a strong message to China, the Quad at its first summit signaled its arrival on the geopolitical scene with PM Modi describing the cluster as a “force for global good” and an “important pillar of stability” in the Indo-Pacific. In its opening remarks, underlined the evolution of the group and a release of inhibitions that India may have harbored in the past. “We will work together, closer than ever, to advance our shared values and promote a safe, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” he said.
Modi’s comments came after US President Joe Biden invited him to speak, saying, “PM Modi, good to see you.”
The discussions sent a powerful message to China that its actions have brought together a committed group of democracies who support the values of pluralism and free access in a region that Beijing likes to see as its backyard.
“The summit, by itself, is the most significant outcome,” said Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, who is also the Quad Sherpa on the Indian side. “Quad leaders emphasized the commitment to a free and open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific,” he added.
China appears to have been angered by developments with Global times, the Chinese spokesman, saying that India was becoming a “negative asset” for BRICS and SCO. “India has become a negative asset for these groups. China said in February that it is backing India to host the 2021 BRICS summit. It appears that India has not understood China’s goodwill. India takes China’s full support for granted. In fact, he is carrying out a kind of strategic blackmail against China, ”the newspaper said.
The Quad’s faith in market-based economies and its willingness to present a “positive agenda” in the region was emphasized by an ambitious goal of producing 1 billion doses of the Covid vaccine. There would be no talk of a ‘Cold War’ with China, but the Quad would project power in a different way than the communist giant, it seemed to be the political outcome of the summit, with Biden making it clear that he did not differ from the Trump administration. in the Indo-Pacific and Quad. Underlining the convergence, the summit was followed by a joint statement.
“The summit, by itself, is the most significant outcome,” said Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, who is also the Quad Sherpa on the Indian side. “Quad leaders emphasized the commitment to a free and open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific,” he added.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga tweeted that he had opposed China’s unilateral efforts to change the status quo, as well as the situation in Myanmar. He is the first Quad leader to say outright that China’s actions were criticized at the summit.
Hosted by the US, the summit yielded several results: First, a massive vaccine initiative that will use the strengths of the four countries to produce one billion doses of Covid vaccines that would be used for the good of the Indo- Pacific to begin with. . Briefing reporters after the summit, Shringla said: “It is an ambitious goal, but we believe we can achieve it.”
The initiative will expand India’s own vaccine manufacturing capabilities so that India’s domestic demands are not affected. The initiative will use vaccines developed in the US, the one from Johnson & Johnson to start with, and those made in India, funded by the US and Japan. Australia will use its logistics to build last-mile connectivity to countries in Southeast Asia, Pacific islands and countries in the Indian Ocean.
For the first time, a joint statement was issued, signaling further alignment. The Quad established three expert-level working groups on vaccines, critical and emerging technologies, and climate change. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted: “For us, this meeting is about how we keep Australia and the Indo-Pacific region in which we live safe, stable and protected.”
Myanmar came up for discussion, where Modi He stressed the close relations India had with its neighbor and said it will work “constructively” to get it back on the path of democracy. “We advocate a constructive approach that takes into account the needs of the Myanmar people,” said Shringla.
The Quad also explored the possibility of cooperating with some European countries such as France, Germany and the Netherlands that had declared their own Indo-Pacific policies. “But there is no talk of expanding the Quad,” Shringla said.
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