Biden set to host PM Modi in hometown Wilmington as Quad leaders intensify partnership

Sep 21 (IANS) US President Joe Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan at Archmere Academy, where he attended High school, at the sixth – fourth in-person – Quad Leaders Summit in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday.

It is for the first time that Biden will be hosting foreign leaders in Wilmington as President – including an “intimate leaders’ dinner” at his private home – which the White House believes is “a reflection of his deep personal relationships with each of the Quad Leaders”, and the importance of the Quad to all countries.

The Quad leaders will also unveil a signature initiative – The Cancer Moonshot – which aims at implementing innovative strategies to prevent, detect, treat, and alleviate the impact of cancer on patients and their families. As stated by

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri earlier this week, the grouping intends to collaborate in reducing the burden of cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific region.

As PM Modi left for Philadelphia Saturday morning, Biden – who also visited his school on Friday – held a meeting with the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at his Home in Wilmington.

“I look forward to joining my colleagues President Biden, Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Kishida for the Quad Summit. The forum has emerged as a key group of like-minded countries to work for peace, progress and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. My meeting with President Biden will allow us to review and identify new pathways to further deepen India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership for the benefit of our people and the global good,” said PM Modi before his departure.

Quad – a diplomatic partnership between India, the United States, Australia and Japan – remains committed to supporting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.

The Quad countries account for 1.9 billion combined population, 44 per cent of two-way merchandise trade across the Indo-Pacific region, US $34.8 trillion combined GDP and hold 30 per cent of Global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stock.

Having swapped its turn with the US due to scheduling issues, India will now be hosting the 2025 Quad Summit as the relationship between the partner nations continues to expand both strategically and economically.

Washington insists that the Biden-Harris Administration has also made elevating and institutionalizing the Quad a top priority, from the first-ever Quad Leaders Summit at the White House in 2021, to annual Summits since then.

“The Quad Leaders Summit will focus on bolstering the strategic convergence among our countries, advancing our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and delivering concrete benefits for partners in the Indo-Pacific in key areas. These include health security, natural disaster response, maritime security, high-quality infrastructure, critical and emerging technology, climate and clean energy, and cybersecurity,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on September 12.

The bloc continues to coordinate at all levels, having held eight Quad Foreign Ministers’ meetings till now.

In May 2023, after the Hiroshima Quad Leaders’ Summit, the four leaders had released two statements – a Leaders’ Vision Statement setting out their strategic vision for the future of the Quad and a Joint Leaders’ Statement.

During the summit, PM Modi emphasised the importance of consolidating Quad’s constructive agenda and delivering tangible outcomes for the region.

A number of initiatives were also announced to strengthen the resilience and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific, including a Clean Energy Supply Chains Initiative, Quad Infrastructure Fellowships Programme, Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience besides the launch of a Quad Investors’ Network to facilitate investments in strategic technologies.

Keeping a constant tab on China’s increasing presence in the Indo Pacific, the Quad leaders have also reiterated the importance of upholding the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful resolution of disputes.

Earlier this week, a senior White House official, acknowledged that maritime security cooperation between Quad partners has picked up pace out of public limelight as has defence cooperation bilaterally and multilaterally between them.

Mira Rapp-Hooper, a senior official in Biden’s National Security Council, told a news conference that the Quad leaders could discuss Bangladesh developments as “plan to focus on each neighbourhood in the region”.

–IANS

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