First Quad' meet calls for a free Indo-Pacific region; Modi, Trump meeting today
New Delhi/Manila: In a significant move indicating the first steps towards the formation of a “quadrilateral” comprising India, the US, Australia and Japan, officials of the four nations met on Sunday in Manila ahead of the East Asia Summit there.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reached Manila on Sunday, held separate “pull-aside” meetings with US President Donald Trump and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the gala dinner to mark the 50th anniversary of Asean hosted by President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte. Mr Modi was also seen conversing with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, Russian PM Dmitry Medve-dev and Malaysian PM Najib Razak at a reception for the leaders who arrived for the 31st Asean summit and its related meetings. Mr Modi later tweeted pictures of his interaction with world leaders.
At the Quadrilateral session, officials of the four nations met “for consultations on issues of common interest in the Indo-Pacific region”, with “the discussions focused on cooperation based on their converging vision and values for promotion of peace, stability and prosperity”. The four countries “agreed that a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world at large”.
Modi, Trump meeting today
Mr Modi is scheduled to have a bilateral one-on-one hour-long meeting with the US President on the sidelines of the Asean summit on Monday afternoon. The two leaders are expected to deliberate on a number of key issues of mutual interest, including the evolving security situation in the Indo-Pacific region where Washington favours a greater role by India.
At Sunday evening’s dinner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the other leaders wore Barong Tagalong, an embroidered shirt which is the national dress of the Philippines, designed by renowned Filipino designer Albert Andrada.
The formation of a Quadrilateral was a recent Japanese proposal and is being viewed by foreign policy experts as an attempt to rein in China, which has been asserting its might militarily and economically in its neighbourhood.
The reference to the importance of peace as also inclusiveness in the “Indo-Pacific” region is being seen as a reaction and veiled reference to the assertive Chinese military posture in the area. China has maritime disputes with several Southeast Asian nations as well as with Japan. Following the proposal, India said it was open to such an idea, pointing out that it was already part of many trilateral consultation processes. The term “Indo-Pacific” also seems to have replaced the term “Asia-Pacific”, highlighting the rising importance of India in US strategy in the region.
