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Quad Summit
Why is it in news?
- The first-ever leadership summit of the Quad grouping is held.
- Prime MinisterModi, US President Biden, Japan PM Yoshihide Suga and Australian PM Scott Morrison met through virtual mode.
Details:
- All the leaders highlighted cooperation among the member countries to beat the global pandemic, with joint partnership on vaccines.
- They emphasised the need for an “open” and “free” Indo-Pacific region.
- Prime Minister of India lay emphasis on the areas like vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies.
- The Quad members agreed to ensure “equitable” access to vaccines.
- The US president emphasised that the Indo-Pacific region should be governed in accordance with human rights.
- This is appears to be in reference to China’s proactive and assertive activities in the Indo-Pacific region.
China's response:
- In a statement just hours before the first Quad summit, China has said cooperation between nations should not target or damage interests of a third party.
- China reiterated that countries should not pursue exclusive blocs.
About Quad:
- The Quad is a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue mechanism which enables dialogue between four major democracies within the Indo-Pacific region- Australia, Japan, India, and the US.
- It focus on the issues of regional security.
- Objective: To secure a rule based global order, liberal trade practices and establish and maintain the freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region.
- The Quad first emerged as a cooperative response to the devastation of the 2004 tsunami.
- The dialogue was first initiated by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007.
Source: The Hindu, Indian Express.