Quad leaders discuss security, infrastructure, investment in Indo-Pacific

The third in-person Quad Leaders’ meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, and President Joseph Biden of the United States of America took place at Hiroshima on May 20, 2023.

The leaders, who met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, discussed their cooperation on various topics including secure digital technology, submarine cables, infrastructure capacity building, and maritime domain awareness. They reviewed the progress of their past commitments and announced new joint projects at the meeting.

Regarding the developments in the Indo-Pacific, they stressed on the importance of upholding the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful resolution of disputes. In their continued effort to maintain a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, they released the “Quad Leaders’ Vision Statement – Enduring Partners for the Indo-Pacific” which lays out their approach.

According to the statement, the Quad countries will continue to contribute beneficially to the Indo-Pacific region, maintain its security while adhering to international law, uphold the centrality, agency, and leadership of regional institutions, including ASEAN, the Pacific Islands Forum, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association, and work transparently while encouraging open dialogue to achieve the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Other Indo-Pacific initiatives launched at the meeting include, a Clean Energy Supply Chains Initiative for energy transition, a Quad Infrastructure Fellowships Programme to design and build infrastructure in respective countries, Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience to establish undersea network connectivity and Quad Investors’ Network to drive private-sector investments.

The Quad members also launched support to establish a small-scale Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) in Palau, the first in the Pacific region. In that direction, they released the ORAN Security Report to support industry investment in open, interoperable and secure telecom platforms.

“We, the Quad Leaders, remain firm in our resolve to meet the challenges facing our region and clear in our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific that is stable, prosperous and inclusive. In doing so we are committed to working in partnership with Indo-Pacific countries – large and small – in deciding our future and shaping the region we all want to live in,” a joint statement issued after the meeting read indicating that the next leaders summit will be hosted by India in 2024.