First Quad Leaders Summit on March 12, Leaders of USA, Japan, Australia and India to hold Virtual Meeting

India and USA announced that a virtual summit of the leaders of Quad Nations will be held on March 12. It will be for the first time that talks will be held between the Heads of States of the four member group, known as the QUAD. The announcement follows the discussions between PM Modi of India and PM Suga of Japan, earlier this week.

The meeting is to be hosted by President Biden with Australian PM Scott Morrison, PM Modi amd PM Suga in attendance. This is one of the earliest multi lateral engagements of President Biden signifying the importance USA places on close cooperation with its strategic partners in Indo Pacific. Though not a formal military or strategic alliance, Quad is seen by many as coming together of nations to counterbalance Chinese influence in the region as all four countries have seen increased tensions with China in the recent past. Quad has definitely hit the next orbit with all four leaders coming together to discuss various issues.

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