Prime Minister Narendra Modi today observed that mutual cooperation among the Quad nations was giving a boost to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific as the four-nation grouping decided to extend more than $50 billion of infrastructure assistance and investment in the region over the next five years and launched a new Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative to help countries bolster their capacities to respond to HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) incidents and combat illegal fishing.

”Quad is carrying a constructive agenda for the Indo-Pacific region. This will further strengthen the image of the Quad as a Force for Good,” the Indian leader said at the 2nd in-person Quad Summit in Tokyo. He also highlighted India’s consistent and principled position on the need for cessation of hostilities in Ukraine and the resumption of dialogue and diplomacy.

Apart from the Indian leader, the summit was attended by US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the new Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese.

The four leaders reiterated their shared commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and the importance of upholding the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful resolution of disputes. They exchanged perspectives on developments in the Indo-Pacific and the conflict in Europe. The four leaders also took stock of the ongoing Quad collaboration and their vision for the future.

They reiterated their desire to combat terrorism, denounced the use of terrorist proxies and emphasised the importance of denying any logistical, financial, or military support to terrorist groups which could be used to launch or plan terror attacks, including cross-border attacks.

Reviewing Quad’s ongoing efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, they welcomed the enhanced manufacturing capacity of the Biological-E facility in India and called for the expeditious grant of EUL approval by the WHO so that delivery of vaccines can commence.

The leaders welcomed the gift of 525,000 doses of Made in India vaccines by India to Thailand and Cambodia in April under the Quad Vaccine Partnership. They will continue to pursue a holistic approach to pandemic management by addressing last-mile delivery and distribution challenges, augmenting regional health security through cooperation in genomic surveillance and clinical trials, and bolstering global health security architecture.

A Quad Climate Change Action and Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP) was announced to strengthen efforts toward green shipping, clean energy including green hydrogen and climate and disaster-resilient infrastructure. Modi reiterated the importance of assisting countries in the region with their COP26 commitments through mobilization of climate finance and technology transfer.

As part of ongoing work related to critical and emerging technologies, Quad’s Common Statement of Principles on Critical Technology Supply Chains was launched.

The four countries will coordinate capacity building programmes for the Indo-Pacific region to bolster the critical cyber security infrastructure of the region. Modi called for greater Quad collaboration to build trusted global supply chains and spoke of the national framework being adopted in India to create a semiconductor ecosystem in India.

The leaders agreed to provide countries in the region with resources on earth observation data through a Quad satellite data portal to help track climate events, disaster preparedness and sustainable use of marine resources. India will play a proactive role in this effort given its longstanding capabilities in using space-based data and technologies for inclusive development.

The four leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for ASEAN’s unity and centrality and look forward to strengthening cooperation with partners in the region.