PM Modi leaves for his first foreign trip since March last year when he visited Bangladesh, stopping over in Washington and New York.
On his three-day visit on Wednesday, one of the big events in the US is a meeting of the leaders of the four Quad countries—the US, India, Japan, and Australia—which have common interests—primarily, a free and open Indo-Pacific, against the backdrop of China’s military rising power.
During the Quad Meeting, Points They May Discuss
During the Quad meeting, they could discuss creating a safe supply chain for semiconductors, which would signal that the alliance meant to counter China in the Indo-Pacific is broadening its scope. Chinese chip-makers are making bold investments to ramp up the potential for widely used semiconductors. The Quad could assert that “resilient, diverse and secure technology supply chains for hardware, software, and services” are vital to their shared national interests, according to Japan’s Nikkei Asia. The Quad countries may also announce an infrastructure initiative to take on China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
What Other Topics Will PM Modi Discuss in the USA?
PM Modi is anticipated to hold bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison, and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga. The meetings with Biden and Suga will be the first in-person exchanges that Modi will be having with both in their current roles. Modi has met Biden at least twice when he was US Vice President in the Obama administration.
During this meeting, they would probably discuss the situation in Afghanistan, China’s territorial aggressiveness, the Australia-UK-US pact on nuclear submarines, and climate change. The urgent need to stem radicalism, cross-border terrorism, dismantling terrorist networks, bolstering defense and trade ties, and exploring cooperation in new and emerging technologies will be on the agenda during talks with Biden, senior officials said. With Biden’s interest in climate change, their meeting could see some announcements in this area.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reach New York on 24 September, where he will be the first speaker at the 76th UN General Assembly session on 25 September. “Building resilience through hope” post the pandemic is one of the themes of the session this year, as is “revitalizing the UN”. In his address, Modi is expected to touch on the regional situation i.e. Afghanistan, cross-border terrorism, global efforts to combat COVID-19, the climate change challenge, and the need to reform the UN and other multilateral systems.
