Defense & Security

Kishida hopes to confirm economic security cooperation at Quad summit

Yomiuri Shimbun, AP and Reuters
From the Left: Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden, new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

The Yomiuri Shimbun

7:02 JST, May 24, 2022

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida intends to confirm cooperation in economic security and other spheres to realize the vision of a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” during the Quad summit he is hosting Tuesday in Tokyo.

By doing so, Kishida hopes to strengthen solidarity with the United States, Australia and India, while bearing in mind Russia and China, both of which have been intensifying their hegemonic actions.

This fourth Quad summit is only the second to be held in person, following the one held in Washington last September.

Scheduled to join Kishida are U.S. President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whose Labor Party was victorious in a national election held Saturday.

As these four nations attach importance to freedom and democracy, the idea is that the summit will send a message to the world that they are united in maintaining and reinforcing the international order based on the rule of law.

Given the fact that China and Russia have been conducting experiments to destroy satellites in orbit with anti-satellite missiles, the Quad leaders are also expected to agree on the peaceful use of outer space and the reinforcement of capabilities to monitor satellites.

Modi was due to arrive in Japan on Monday and stay through Tuesday. India has not joined the circle of nations imposing economic sanctions on Russia and has avoided criticizing Moscow.

At the Quad summit, a focal point will be how far the four countries can take concerted action. Prioritizing consensus with Modi, the other Quad leaders are likely to avoid criticizing Russia by name for invading Ukraine, but are coordinating views so that they can express their support for Ukrainian sovereignty in a joint statement.

During the Quad summit, Japan and the United States hope to confirm that they will continue to take concerted actions with the new administration in Australia in dealing with China.