During the first Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) on Friday, US President Joe Biden said that a free and open Indo-Pacific is essential for the future of each of the grouping's member countries, and the US is committed to ensuring the region is governed by international law and free of coercion.
"A free and open Indo Pacific is essential to each of our future of our countries. The US is committed to working with you, our partners and all of our allies in the region to achieve stability" he said during the Quad meet.
Biden also spoke about his recently passed USD 1.9 trillion Covid-19 package, known as the 'American Rescue Plan' to help Americans overcome the pandemic.
Biden also announced the launch of a new vaccine manufacturing pact, in which the Quad will be play an important role. "We are launching a new vaccine manufacturing pact. We will ensure that our pact is governed by universal laws. The Quad is going to be important," the US President said.
He also said that the Orgsation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has doubled the US' growth prediction from 3.3 per cent to 6.5 per cent, the fastest economic growth since 1984.
Focusing on generating domestic demand and driving sustainable growth, the US President said: "We are establishing a new mechsm to enhance our cooperation in ways that our mutual ambitions as we have addressed, accelerating climate change. We are renewing our commitment to ensure that our regions are governed by international law, committing to universal values and free from coercion."
"The Quad is going to be a vital ingredient for cooperation in the Indo Pacific and I look forward to working closely with all of you in the coming years," he said in his concluding remarks.
Biden participated in the virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in the historic summit, the first leadership-level engagement for Quad.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi said: "I thank President Biden for this initiative. We are united by democratic values and our commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. Our agenda today - covering areas like vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies - makes the Quad a force for global good," he said.
The Quad leaders are also likely to announce financing agreements to boost India's manufacturing of coronavirus vaccines, part of what some see as a Quad response to Beijing's efforts to score diplomatic points by offering Made-in-China vaccines to the developing world.
Incidentally, this is among President Biden's earliest plurilateral Summits - preceded only by a meeting of the G7 leaders - and is being held less than two months after he took office.
( With inputs from ANI )
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