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Context

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the second in-person QUAD summit held in Tokyo along with his Japanese and Australian counterparts and US President Joe Biden.
• This was the fourth interaction of the leaders since their first virtual meeting in March 2021.  

 Highlights of the summit

• The members retreated their stance for a free open and inclusive Indo-pacific region.
• They maintained to uphold the sovereignty of the nations and emphasized peaceful resolution of any dispute across the world.
• They exchange their perspective on development and the ongoing conflict in Europe and also discussed QUAD collaboration and its vision.
• The QUAD also pushed for physical as well as digital infrastructure with a total fund of $50 billion for the next five years.
• From the security point of view, New Maritime Surveillance and Monitoring in the Indo-pacific region seeks collaboration from ASEAN and other island nations in the region.
• Prime minister Narendra Modi highlighted India’s consistent and principled position on the need for cessation of hostilities, resumption of dialogue and diplomacy.
  • He also emphasized the importance of delivering on QUAD’s positive and constructive agenda and showing tangible benefits for the region.

Analysis of the summit

• The recent QUAD summit has huge significance across the world in the backdrop of the ongoing war in Europe.
  • As India has maintained a neutral stance since the start of the war, the western democracies were rattling about this.
  • The Indo-pacific region is a real theatre of concern, as the Ukraine war in Europe is considered as a region whereas any change in the Indo-pacific region has worldwide repercussions.
• Tangible benefits in the region would mean with the announcement of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, push for infrastructure, and maritime security, the QUAD is proposing a multi-dimensional partnership on par with China.
  • It is not just a military alliance. The QUAD is giving alternatives to countries in the region whose vulnerabilities have been exposed due to the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
  • In alternative to China, the QUAD is proposing a set of projects like increasing connectivity in the region, increasing trade and industrialization, green energy initiatives, disaster-resilient mechanisms and infrastructure.
  • Such are set to increase collaboration of various countries in the Indo-pacific region.
• Prime minister Narendra Modi made it clear that it should be free and open Indo-pacific by highlighting that no one should alter the status quo by force or take unilateral actions, which China has been attempting with Taiwan.
• From a security aspect, the member launched the Indo-Pacific Partnership for maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), which will track ‘dark shipping’, illegal fishing and unregulated fishing.
  • It has also collaborated in cyber-security which has an important aspect of the future.
  • The member will securely store or share information with the help of collaboration in cyber-security.
• From the diplomacy aspect, the QUAD is considered an important partnership, this was the 4^th summit in a matter of two years.
  • Because of a lot of disruption and challenges across the world due to pandemics and war, the QUAD emphasized the need to work together to maintain peace and stability.
  • The QUAD wants to increase diplomacy by investing in infrastructure, climate change adaptation and mitigation and addressing the concerns and vulnerabilities of Indo-Pacific islands.
• There is no ambiguity in the QUAD agenda, it has a clear strategy i.e., against militarization in disputed areas and maritime militia. The need of the hour is coordination in security and economic aspect.

https://sansadtv.nic.in/episode/perspective-quad-summit-2022-24-may-2022

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