Quad heads of state plan early maiden summit, hints Australian PM

Leaders of the Quadrilateral — India-US-Australia-Japan — are planning their maiden summit in the near future in what can be viewed as a significant development amid China's growing aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.

The hint about the summit came from the Australian Prime Minister. There has been no official word on it so far from India.

The summit will be held virtually and development comes close on the heels Quad foreign ministers meet and launch of a strategic guidance document by US President Joe Biden that seeks to counter authoritarian and aggressive China.


“This will become a feature of Indo-Pacific engagement," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Sydney on Friday, without giving details on the timing of the talks. “It will be four leaders, four countries, working together constructively for the peace, prosperity and stability of the Indo-Pacific."

It will "not have a big bureaucracy, with a big secretariat. it will be 4 leaders, 4 countries working together constructively for the peace, prosperity, and stability of the Indo pacific", according to Morrison.

Morrison said he had discussed arrangements with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in recent weeks. He expected the talks would be followed by face-to-face meetings, he added. Last month S Jaishankar participated in the third Quad foreign ministerial Meeting.