The meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the newly elected Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese took place in Tokyo today as part of the second in-person Quad Leaders Summit.
Quad is a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States that aims to provide a free and open Indo-Pacific.
In his opening remarks, Indian PM Modi congratulated Australian PM Albanese on winning the recently held Australian Federal elections. He added that PM Albanese coming to the Quad meeting only 24 hours after his swearing-in reflected the strength of the Quad friendship and his commitment to the Quad. PM Modi emphasised that the Quad is a force for good and that the Quad has ensured peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. He added that mutual cooperation between Quad countries is encouraging a free open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region which is our shared goal.
Australian PM Anthony Albanese reaffirmed the Quad’s commitment to a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific.
US President Joe Biden in his opening remarks at the meeting said,
“We share the same goal of ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific that will deliver greater prosperity and greater opportunity for all of our children. I am looking forward to continuing to work with all of you and strengthening economic cooperation to deliver inclusive growth and shared prosperity.”
“We’ve shown that Quad is not just a passing fad, we mean business. We’re here to get things done for the region, and I’m proud of what we’re building together I look forward to our vital partnership flourishing and for many years to come.”
Professor Emeritus in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Adelaide, Prof Purnendra Jain told The Australia Today that in their opening remarks at the beginning of the Tokyo summit, all four leaders reconfirmed and recommitted to the Quad aims and objectives, sending a strong message about the importance of the Quad as a mini-lateral security framework.
He also emphasised that the world is watching the Quad closely.
“The world is closely watching developments in Tokyo and the path that the four nations set out to move forward with their policy agenda and implementation in a way that not only promotes the interests of Quad partners but the region as a whole, and indeed the entire global community,” said Prof Jain.
US President Joe Biden also launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework ahead of the Quad leader’s meet in Tokyo.
This was the first in-person meeting between the Quad leaders after the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. US President Joe Biden during a joint press conference with Japanese PM Kishida, prior to the Quad meeting suggested that the US would defend Taiwan militarily if it was attacked, seeming to clear the ambiguity around the issue.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier in a statement had said that Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (Quad) share fundamental values and are committed to strengthening a free and open international order based on the rule of law.
He added that the four countries have been promoting practical cooperation in various fields, including vaccines, infrastructure, climate change, and critical and emerging technologies and have also concurred on the importance of making a positive contribution to the region.
The statement also mentioned that the Quad has been promoting practical cooperation in various areas, including quality infrastructure, maritime security, counter-terrorism, cyber security, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, with the aim of realizing a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).”
