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| President Joe Biden walks to the Quad summit with, from left, Australian PM Scott Morrison, India's Narendra Modi and Japan's Yoshihide Suga, in the East Room of the White House, on September 24 (Photo by=Evan Vucci/AP) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] The leaders of the US, Japan, India and Australia have vowed to work together for a free and open Indo-Pacific region at their first in-person summit, amid shared concerns about China, BBC reported. The so-called Quad group of nations agreed to move ahead on a joint plan to provide Covid-19 vaccines around Asia. They also launched a climate initiative pledging to "decarbonise at pace" and "keep climate goals within reach". The four nations will hold annual summits.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the White House summit that his country would resume exports of coronavirus vaccines next month. The Quad group of nations agreed in March to supply a billion doses of vaccine to Asia this year, but Delhi suspended exports during a wave of coronavirus in April. The four leaders also reaffirmed support for free and open order rooted in international law.
Without explicitly mentioning China, the four leaders said they were committed to "promoting the free, open, rules-based order, rooted in international law and undaunted by coercion, to bolster security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond". After the summit, the leaders pledged "to meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the East and South China Seas".
