New Delhi, India (CU)_ Both parties announced on Sunday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden will hold a bilateral meeting in Tokyo on the sidelines of the Quad Summit. Arindam Bagchi, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson, took to Twitter and wrote, “Ohayō, Tokyo! PM @narendramodi arrives to a warm welcome in Tokyo on what is his fifth visit to Japan in the last 8 years”.
According to Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor aboard Air Force One en route to Tokyo, “In addition to the Quad, President Biden will have a distinct bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi. It won’t be part of the formal agenda of the Quad, but significant security issues in the Indo-Pacific will come up and all of the Quad members also share an interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”. Biden desires to give China a message of deterrence on Taiwan. Sullivan added, “We do not want to see unilateral changes to the status quo and we certainly don’t want to see military aggression”.
The fourth Quad Summit will commence on May 24th. Modi stated, “I will hold a bilateral meeting with President Biden, where we will discuss further consolidation of our multifaceted bilateral relations with the US.” We will also continue our dialogue on regional developments and contemporary global issues’’.
During the summit, an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework will be established. It is an agreement to better integrate the economies of the Indo-Pacific region by establishing standards and laws, especially in emerging sectors such as the digital economy, and attempting to ensure the availability of safe and strong supply chains.
Before his departure, Modi remarked, “In Japan, I will also participate in the second in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit, which will provide an opportunity for the leaders of the four Quad countries to review the progress of Quad initiatives”. Modi’s visit to Japan is being overshadowed by the Russia-Ukraine war. He added, “We will also exchange views about developments in the Indo-Pacific region and global issues of mutual interest”.
