PM Modi visit to Japan: Quad Push For Peace In Indo-Pacific Region, Trade Talks Also On Table
PM Modi visit to Japan: Amidst tension with America, India's friendship with Russia and China is getting stronger and work is being done to speed up BRICS. Meanwhile, the question arises what will be the future of QUAD, which also includes America. Apart from India, America, Japan and Australia are also in this organization. Questions are also being raised on QUAD because PM Modi is going on a tour of Japan and QUAD is to be organized in India at the end of this year.
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Quad was formed in 2004, but it remained inactive till 2017. Trump revived it in his first term. Then Joe Biden took it forward. Under Biden's leadership, the group was elevated to the level of leaders in 2021.
What did New Delhi say?
Ahead of the PM's visit to Japan, New Delhi said that India and Japan want to further their cooperation on issues such as critical minerals under the Quad group. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, India attaches great importance to the Quad group, which is seen as a counter to China in the Indo-Pacific despite its strained relations with the US.
Foreign Secretary said, that India is still in talks with the US over tariffs and expanding its cooperation with the Quad nations already . One of the goals of the Quad is cooperation on critical minerals, which is a priority for both India and Japan.
PM Modi going to Japan
Meanwhile the Prime Minister is leaving on an official visit to Japan on 28 August. The PM Modi will be in Japan on August 29 to attend the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
This is also Prime Minister Modi first visit to Japan in seven years. He last visited Japan in 2018 for the annual summit. Since then, he has visited Japan, but that has been for multilateral meetings and other formal events. While visit will be entirely dedicated to the bilateral agenda between India and Japan.
Quad is important for America
Lisa Curtis, who served as Deputy Assistant and Senior Director for South and Central Asia during Trump's first term, said that due to his focus on tariffs and trade balance, the President is ignoring the bigger geopolitical picture and major challenges to US national security.
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She described the Quad as an effective mechanism to promote activities and policies that support US interests in the Indo-Pacific region. She further said that if the US-India trade talks fail, it would be a clear victory for China.
There is tension, but talks are also going on
There is tension between India and America, but talks are also going on, which shows that both the countries want to bring the relations back on track. 2 + 2 Intersessional Dialogue was organized to advance the strategic relations between the two. Senior officials of both the countries attended this meeting and agreed to further deepen defense, security, trade and technology cooperation.
Summary
Experts believe that for America, India is an important strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific, while for India, America is a big source of high technology, investment and defense cooperation. This is the reason that despite differences, both the countries are trying to take their relations to new heights.
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