The first-ever leaders’ meeting of the Quad group of counties has planned to announce financing agreements to support the increase in production capacity for COVID-19 vaccines in India. The aim of an initiative by the Quad, which is a group of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States would be to rectify manufacturing backlogs, increase the speed of vaccination and defeat some COVID-19 mutations.
The financial agreement between India and others will focus particularly on pharmaceutical companies and institutions in India manufacturing jabs for drug makers like Novavax and Johnson & Johnson. Some of the additional vaccine production by Indian firms would be used in vaccination campaigns in Southeast Asian countries. Quad group announced to hold this virtual meet when India recently asked the other Quad members to invest in its vaccine manufacturing capacity in an attempt to counter the widening vaccine diplomacy of China.
Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the leaders will discuss regional and global issues of shared interest, and exchange views on crucial areas of cooperation towards nurturing a free and open Indo Pacific region. Amid rising tensions with China, the Quad meeting will mark as a bulwark against China. Both White House and India, which earlier announced the participation of PM Narendra Modi, said this meet would take up COVID-19 pandemic and climate change on priority which are two key priorities for PM Modi and President Biden.
The talks will also involve Australian PM Scott Morrison and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga, who will touch few other areas which include maritime security and human rights in India’s neighboring countries. This online Quad meeting of a group is seen as an effort to balance Beijing’s growing economic and military power. The timing of talks highlights the importance of the new president of the US, Joe Biden, who places on cooperation with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
