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Preparations underway for PM’s possible visit to US this month
The first face-to-face meeting of leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, after their maiden virtual summit in March, was being seen as the centrepiece of a visit to the US by Modi
A visit to the US by Prime Minister Narendra Modi this month is being linked to clarity on the holding of the first in-person summit of Quad leaders following Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s decision to step down, people familiar with developments said on Saturday.
The first face-to-face meeting of leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, after their maiden virtual summit in March, was being seen as the centrepiece of a visit to the US by Modi. However, Suga’s surprise move led to confusion and uncertainty about the Quad meet to be hosted by Washington, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity.
The Indian side has begun advance preparations for a possible visit by the prime minister, and some of the grounds were laid during foreign secretary Harsh Shringla’s three-day visit to Washington this week. There has been no formal announcement from the Indian side, though dates between September 22 and 27 were being looked at for the visit.
If the visit does go ahead, Modi is also expected to address the annual UN General Assembly in New York and hold his first bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden.
“There is some amount of confusion and lack of clarity on whether the Japanese PM will travel to the US following his decision to step down. The Indian side has begun the spade work but a call will have to be made at a higher level,” one of the people cited above said.
The people said the latest reports from the Japanese side indicated that Suga is not expected to visit the US. Earlier, Japan had proposed holding the Quad Summit in a hybrid format, with Suga joining virtually. There were also suggestions to hold the summit after the election of a new Japanese prime minister. It is learnt that not all Quad members were keen on holding the summit in a hybrid format.
Asked about the possibility of the political developments in Japan affecting the Quad Summit, foreign secretary Harsh Shringla told reporters in Washington on Friday: “If there is a summit, Prime Minister Modi has already said he would be happy to attend that summit. I think other leaders have also said that they will be ready. So, it’s all a question of...getting the leaders together and going ahead.”
The people also noted the US recently asked more than 150 countries planning to send a leader or a minister to speak in person at the UN General Assembly to consider giving a video address in order to prevent the meeting from becoming a super-spreader event.
The Quad comprises India, Australia, Japan and the US. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to travel to the US in September to join Biden for events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Australia, New Zealand and US Security Treaty, or ANZUS Treaty.
On Friday, Suga announced his decision not to seek re-election as leader of the ruling Liberal Democrat Party (LDP) in the face of mounting criticism over his handling of the Covid-19 crisis. Suga took over just under a year ago after Shinzo Abe resigned citing ill health.
Opposition to his leadership among LDP lawmakers has diminished his chances of winning a second term in the LDP’s presidential election on September 29. Suga is also expected to be preoccupied with campaigning for the party election, which will begin on September 17.
The political developments in Japan have also raised the possibility of the annual bilateral summit with India being cancelled for the third straight year. The meet couldn’t be held in 2019 because of violent protests against the amended citizenship law in Guwahati, the proposed venue, and it wasn’t held last year because of the pandemic.
The planned Quad Summit was aimed at giving fresh impetus to several key initiatives, including the grouping’s vaccine partnership and measures to ensure an open and free Indo-Pacific. The four countries plan to distribute one billion doses of US-developed vaccines produced in India across the Indo-Pacific but the move hit a road block after India was hit by a devastating second wave of infections.
In March, Biden hosted the first virtual Quad leaders summit that pledged to work for an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific anchored by democratic values and unconstrained by coercion, an apparent signal to China.
