On this episode we’re doing today of the first ever summit of the leaders of the Quadrilateral Framework or ‘Quad’ that will take place virtually on March 12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the discussion which will also witness the participation of President Joe Biden of the United States, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The statement about the meeting from India’s external affairs ministry says, “the Leaders will discuss regional and global issues of shared interest, and exchange views on practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.” It adds that the summit will provide an opportunity to exchange views on contemporary challenges such as resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security and climate change,” a press release has stated. Underlying all of this of course, and the issue that is likely to be the big elephant in the room is the China challenge. Whether any kind of statement emerges specifically about it that is the subtext that most commentators will try to read into once we know more about what takes place in the meeting itself. For this preview of the first ever Quad meeting today we are joined by Suhasini Haidar, The Hindu’s National and Diplomatic Affairs Editor and Ananth Krishnan, The Hindu’s Beijing correspondent.