Gist of Quad Summit - Priorities & Challenges | Gist of Rajya Sabha TV / RSTV (now Sansad TV) - UPSC PDF Download

Context

Prime Minister of India will be participating, along with Prime Minister of Australia and Prime Minister of Japanese and President of U.S.A., in the first Leaders’ Summit of the Quadrilateral Framework, being held virtually on 12th March 2021.

Background

• It will be held about a year-and-half after the Quad was upgraded to the level of foreign ministers in September 2019 and reflects the desire of the group to present a united front to key challenges.
• The meeting of the so-called "Quad" comes amid rising tensions with China, which is seen as flexing its muscle both in trade and security realms.

Summary of the Debate

Important points to be raised in the summit

• The leaders will exchange views on practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
• The Summit will be an opportunity to exchange views on contemporary challenges such as resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security, and climate change.
• The leaders will review efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and explore opportunities for collaboration in ensuring safe, equitable and affordable vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region.
• The other members of Quad could invest in India’s vaccine production capabilities to expand the delivery of doses across the region, especially to counter China’s vaccine diplomacy.

Significance of Summit

• Its focus will be on a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, maritime security, resilient supply chains, critical technologies as well as climate change.
• Its importance draws from the common geopolitical reality facing these quad members: heightened tensions with China.  
• It is US President’s first-ever joint talks with the leaders of Australia, India and Japan, who has vowed to revive US alliances in the wake of the disarray of Donald Trump's administration. 
• The Quad is developing as a working forum for leaders to generate momentum on practical actions, which was lacking in recent years. The Quad is now much broader than the ‘security dialogue’ that restarted in 2017, and its utility will increase given the world we are living in. 

China's Stand on Quad Initiative

• China has remained bitterly opposed to Quad because it saw the growing relationship as India’s first step on the American bandwagon.
• When Malabar-2007 was enlarged to accommodate Australia, Singapore and Japan, China sent a diplomatic protest conveying its fear and displeasure.
• After Biden's election, Chinese state media had printed articles calling on India to end the Quad, seeing New Delhi as the only likely opponent.
• Australia’s export sector faced heat from China. 

Conclusion

It looks like the underlining theme will be the rule based international order which these four countries are trying to go ahead and look for in all aspects. There will be issues discussed and tackled as well, ways will be found, solutions will be worked upon by pooling the resources as well as the powers of all these nations.