Calling Quad a positive and constructive agenda, Indian Ambassador to Japan Sanjay Kumar Verma said “we don’t target a country or region.”
He gave this statement when asked if China will be the focus of Quad. What we look forward to is that peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region should be adhered to, he added.
The Indian Ambassador further said that if one looks at prosperity, peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific then the supply chain will continue to be the main issue which is why India, Japan and Australia have signed a trilateral agreement on the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative.
Speaking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s itinerary in Japan, Verma said he will meet around 35 major business leaders from Japan.
In addition, there will be few CEOs, chairmen and presidents of the companies who will be independently and separately meeting the PM, he added.
“Japan is excited regarding the opportunities in India including the PLI scheme so they need to understand us better and we need to understand them better,” he said.
On growing India-Japan bilateral ties, the Ambassador said that when PM Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida met in New Delhi this year, they had an ambition and aspiration to look at 5 trillion yen being invested in India through public, private, and financing modes.
On the sidelines of the Quad Summit, PM Modi will have bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden and also his Japanese and likely Australian counterparts, Fumio Kishida and Anthony Albanese respectively.
Responding to a question on China’s approach to the Indo- Pacific region, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said that whenever Quad leaders meet they look to address both challenges and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific.
Bilateral relations are a separate issue but right now whatever issues related to the Indo-Pacific that are on agenda will be discussed, he noted.
Responding to a query about whether the Quad could play a more security-oriented role because of Chinese aggression, Kwatra said it should be seen in the proper context by keeping in mind its core values of democracy, pluralism and market economy.
