Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a clear message to China without naming the Quad meeting in the United States. “A free, constructive, prosperous Indo-Pacific (region) is our priority,” Modi made clear at the start of the Quad (India, Japan, America and Australia) summit in Wilmington, US on Saturday (local time).
In the presence of US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Modi also said, ‘We are not against anyone. We all abide by the rules of the international system; I am in favor of maintaining respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and resolving all issues peacefully.
Modi’s message to China
Although no country was mentioned, no one had any difficulty in understanding that China was the target of Modi’s comment. Because Beijing wants to keep the South China Sea and the East China Sea under its control. Beijing claims that they have sole control over the entire South China Sea. However, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan do not accept the rise of power.
The quad will be…
Modi has made it clear that the Quad will work hand in hand to prevent Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. Even though the quad predates the quad, it is mainly during the Biden era that the importance of the quadrilateral axis increases. It was he who presented the Quad as a platform for state leaders. But a few days later, Biden will no longer be the president of the United States. In that situation, the question was raised in several circles whether the importance of Quad will decrease again.
Brushing aside all those fears, Biden put his hand on Modi’s shoulder on Saturday (local time), saying, “Long after November (the quad will be there). Even after November (the quad will be there).’ Modi also laughed after hearing Biden’s comment. Prime Minister of India shows ‘thumbs up’.
‘Important Quad for Mankind’
On that basis, the Prime Minister of India said, our message is clear – the Quad will remain. (Quad will be there) to help. To bind (quads will be). (Quad will exist) to complement each other.’ He also said, ‘We are meeting at a time when the world is engulfed in tension and conflict. In that situation, the work that the Quad is doing by maintaining the democratic values is very important for the entire mankind.
Quad leaders praise India and Modi
Quade leaders have meanwhile praised India and Modi for playing an important role in the Indian Ocean region. who will become the most ‘senior’ state leader of the Quad. The Australian Prime Minister reiterated that India has become a major power in the Indian Ocean region under Modi’s leadership. At the same time, the Japanese Prime Minister praised Modi’s action.
Going one step further, US President Biden again said that the US should learn from the way India has led in the Indian Ocean region. Also, Biden commented that the United States should learn from India’s experience.
