US Vice President Kamala Harris will also participate in the first Quad summit with President Joe Biden and Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India, Scott Morrison of Australia and Yoshihide Suga of Japan on Friday, according to the White House. The virtual summit is scheduled for 8.30 a.m. in Washington and 7 p.m. in Delhi (10.30 p.m. in Canberra and 12.30 a.m. Saturday in Tokyo). Reporters will be allowed to see the opening of the meeting, according to the White House schedules for Biden and Harris. Biden s spokesperson Jen Psaki said that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will give a readout of the meeting at noon (10.30 p.m. India time).
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday his first-ever meeting with President Joe Biden as well as the leaders of India and Japan will become an anchor of stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, representatives for the four member nations have met periodically since its establishment in 2007. That followed the nations providing relief to Indonesia following the 2004 tsunami there. But this virtual gathering early Saturday morning Australia time will mark the first time all four leaders will come together. China has called the so-called Quad an attempt to contain its ambitions. Morrison said there was no reason for China to object to the leaders meeting.
Read more about Biden admin views Quad as having essential momentum, potential: Official on Business Standard. The Quad is aimed at ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific, a region that witnessed increasing Chinese military assertiveness in recent years
External Affairs S. Jaishankar is to participate on Thursday in a virtual ministerial meeting of the Quad, according to the State Department. The discussions between Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Foreign Ministers Marise Payne of Australia and Toshimitsu Motegi Japan is critical to advancing our shared goals of free and open Indo-Pacific and rising to the defining challenges of our time , State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday. He said that coordinating our efforts like Covid-19 response, as well as climate change , will also figure in their discussions, he said. This meeting and another scheduled to Thursday between Blinken, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian makes clear that the United States values, our alliances and work with our partners and friends around the world to pursue common interests across the world , Price added.
Read more about Quad partners are strong supporters of ASEAN centrality, says Australia on Business Standard. Adding further on the importance of the Quad, the statement said that Quad is a key pillar of Australia s international agenda and complements our other bilateral, regional and multilateral engagement