Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Tokyo on Monday and will meet with key Japanese business executives as well as attend the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework event (IPEF).
This evening, US Vice President Joe Biden will inaugurate IPEF. The IPEF is a US President’s effort aimed at countering Chinese influence in the region. Biden will announce the IPEF as further information about the effort remains unknown.
The Prime Minister will attend the IPEF launch. However, whether India will join the effort or whether conversations will take place remains to be seen. Through IPEF, the US will seek regional partners to collaborate on common goals such as renewable energy, decarbonization, infrastructure, and supply chain improvement. India has often emphasised the need for a dependable supply chain. The Indian Ambassador to Japan, Sanjay Kumar Verma, told ANI that the supply chain will remain the primary focus of the conference
“When you see prosperity, peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, the supply chain will continue to be the main issue.” And that is why India, Japan, and Australia signed a trilateral agreement on the supply chain resilience initiative. What has happened is that many of these supply chains are concentrated in one geography and whenever that gets disrupted or those who control that geography wish to disrupt, the entire supply chain gets disrupted and people or industries which are downstream face the music, “Ambassador Kumar said.
India will also take part in the Quad meet tomorrow, which is likely to refocus attention on the Indo-Pacific region. Many regard Quad as a counterforce to China, but the Indian envoy to Japan argues Quad is not aimed at any specific country.
“Quad is a positive, constructive agenda. So, we don’t target a country or a region. What we look forward to is peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, which should be adhered to. We wait to see that international laws are followed, and a free and open Indo-Pacific is ensured. In our case, free, open, and inclusive Indo Pacific is seen as a viable option, “he said.” All of this is in the basket, but the primary motive, agenda, and goal of the Quad meeting, according to the envoy, is to see a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. The Russian-Ukraine crisis is also anticipated to dominate Tuesday’s quad meet.
Ambassador Sanjay Varma said, “I cannot predict what the leaders will discuss but yes, this is one of the global phenomena now and that development has not only affected geopolitics but also energy and food security.” So again, being an outsider, I should say it will be Discussed or not discussed, but certainly, it is a major global agenda now. ”
Source – Economic Times
