HT Exclusive: Quad in Hiroshima, focus on capacity building, Indo-Pacific | World News

Despite change on travel plans of US President Joseph Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the G-7 and Quad summit in Hiroshima and then proceed to attend the Indo-Pacific Forum meeting in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea and round up his travel with a bilateral summit in Australia.

According to top officials, only the venue of Quad summit has been changed from Sydney to Hiroshima to adjust last minute change in plans of President Biden on account of domestic commitment. “Quad preparations are complete, and all the four strategic partners will enhance security of the group by close economic and technological cooperation aimed at building global supply chains and capacity building across the board,” said a senior official.

According to officials, Quad is not a gang up of democratic powers against China but all about mutual economic, technological and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. That the belligerence of the Xi Jinping regime in the Indo-Pacific is one of the foundation pillars of Quad, there is no doubt.

While US President Biden is also expected to meet PM Modi on the side-lines of the G-7 summit, the two countries along with Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates will announce an MoU very soon on regional integration of the Middle East with road and rail infrastructure as an alternative to China’s Belt Road Initiative (BRI). Decision to this effect was taken in a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Ruler of UAE Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on May 7.

It is understood that the four nations have decided to intensify diplomacy to bring peace and security in the Middle-East and also launch counter-radicalization measures.

The Quad on the other hand will open new avenues of cooperation after the Hiroshima meeting with discussions on the on-going Ukraine conflict, rapid expansion of PLA Navy and growing Chinese diplomatic role in global issues like Saudi-Iran affairs, Bangladesh-Myanmar resolution on Rohingyas and President Xi sending his special envoy to Kyviv to resolve the Ukraine conflict.