During his trip to the United States (US), Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi met his Japanese and Australian counterparts, Yoshihide Suga and Scott Morrison, and US Vice President (VP) Kamala Harris in Washington, DC, on Thursday.
Meeting with Kamala Harris
The Modi-Harris meeting focused on the Afghan crisis, the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and emerging technologies.
It was their first in-person meeting since Harris was sworn in as the US Vice President last year.
Glad to have met @VP @KamalaHarris. Her feat has inspired the entire world. We talked about multiple subjects that will further cement the India-USA friendship, which is based on shared values and cultural linkages. pic.twitter.com/46SvKo2Oxv
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 24, 2021
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that both leaders talked at length about the COVID-19 situation in their respective countries. They stressed the need to strengthen “ongoing efforts to contain the pandemic through expedited vaccination efforts and ensure the supply of critical medicines, therapeutics and healthcare equipment.”
Moreover, the duo “acknowledged the importance of collaborative action on climate change.” Modi spoke about the “push for increasing renewable energy and the recently launched National Hydrogen Mission,” which aims to develop India into a “global hub for manufacturing of hydrogen and fuel cells technologies.” Additionally, he “emphasised the importance of lifestyle changes to promote environmental sustainability.”
The leaders also discussed “areas of future collaboration,” including in the fields of space, IT, emerging and critical technologies, and healthcare. “Both leaders acknowledged the vibrant people-to-people linkages as the bedrock of the mutually beneficial education linkages and the flow of knowledge, innovation and talent between our two countries,” the MEA stated.
Furthermore, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told the press that VP Harris called on Pakistan to stop supporting terror groups. “She [Harris] agreed with the Prime Minister’s briefing on the fact of cross-border terrorism, and the fact that India has been a victim of terrorism for several decades now and on the need to rein in and closely monitor Pakistan’s support for such terrorist groups,” Shringla said.
Lastly, Modi told Harris that being elected the US VP was an “important and historic” event. “You are the source of inspiration for so many people across the world. I am completely confident that under President Biden and your leadership, our bilateral relationship will touch new heights,” he said.
Meeting with Yoshihide Suga
Modi and Suga met on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Washington. It was their first in-person meeting, and Modi “thanked Prime Minister Suga for his commitment and leadership […] in enabling great advances in the India-Japan Special Strategic & Global Partnership over the last few years.”
Japan is one of India’s most valued partners. I had an excellent meeting with PM @sugawitter on a variety of subjects that would further boost cooperation between our nations. A strong India-Japan friendship augurs well for the entire planet. pic.twitter.com/5N9ibqWDzy
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 24, 2021
The leaders exchanged views on “recent global and regional developments, including in Afghanistan”, and reaffirmed their commitment to a “free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.” They have agreed to “enhance bilateral security and defence cooperation, including in the area of defence equipment and technologies.”
Next, they discussed India and Japan’s “increasing economic engagement” and, in this regard, “welcomed the launch of the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) between India, Japan and Australia earlier this year as a collaborative mechanism to enable resilient, diversified and trustworthy supply chains.” The leaders also highlighted the need for greater cooperation in manufacturing, MSMEs, and skill development.
Moreover, the duo discussed cooperation in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, progress in the India-Japan Digital Partnership, climate change, their commitment to the implementation of the Mumbai Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Project, the India-Japan Act East Forum, and the tensions between the two Koreas.
Towards the end, the two leaders called for continuing “the strong momentum attained by the India-Japan partnership in the last few years” and “take the bilateral relations as the ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ to a new height.”
Meeting with Scott Morrison
The Modi-Morrison meeting took place on the sidelines of the Quad Leader’s Summit, and both leaders “discussed a broad range of issues of bilateral, regional and global importance.”
It is always wonderful to interact with my good friend, PM @ScottMorrisonMP. We had wide-ranging deliberations on strengthening cooperation in the fields of commerce, trade, energy and more. pic.twitter.com/rRkNxNc8Nr
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 24, 2021
“They noted with satisfaction the regular high-level engagements between the two countries, including the recently held first India-Australia Foreign and Defence Ministers’ 2+2 Dialogue,” the MEA noted. In addition, the duo “reviewed the progress achieved since the Leaders’ Virtual Summit in June 2020 under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and affirmed their shared commitment of an “open, free, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.”
Moreover, the leaders reviewed the progress made on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) and noted the commitment of both sides to achieve an interim agreement by December 2021. The CECA, launched in 2011, is a free trade agreement to strengthen bilateral trade between India and Australia.
Furthermore, Modi and Morrison “underlined the need for the international community to address the issue of Climate Change on an urgent basis.” Modi also highlighted the need “for a broader dialogue on environment protection.”
Finally, both PMs exchanged views on working together to “overcome the challenges in the post-pandemic world.”
Apart from the three leaders, the Indian PM met separately with a range of business leaders and CEOs of companies, including Adobe, Qualcomm, General Atomics, and Blackstone.
Modi is expected to meet US President Joe Biden on Friday and address the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session the following day.