Quad leaders to meet in Sydney for third in-person summit: White House

 The third in-person Quad summit will be held in Sydney next month, to deepen cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, high-quality infrastructure, global health, climate change, and other pressing issues pertaining to the strategic Indo-Pacific region, the White House said.

The Quad or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue comprises India, the US, Japan and Australia.

The meeting in Sydney on May 24 will be the first time that Australia will be hosting this summit.

“On May 24, President Biden will attend the third in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit in Sydney, Australia, with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, hosted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.

Albanese attended the previous Quad summit in Tokyo hours after he was sworn in as prime minister last year.

“The Quad leaders will discuss how they can deepen their cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, high-quality infrastructure, global health, climate change, maritime domain awareness, and other issues that matter to the people of the Indo-Pacific,” she said.

President Biden will arrive in Australia after attending the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima, Japan from May 19 to May 21.

India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s rising military manoeuvring in the region.

In 2017, the US, Australia, India and Japan gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific region free of any influence.

China claims nearly all the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. PTI LKJ VM VM