US, Indian, Japanese and Australian leaders to hold virtual meeting

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be participating in a virtual meeting with his counterparts of Australia, Japan and the US, the External Affairs Ministry said, Report informs referring to The Hindu.

"The Leaders will have an opportunity to continue their dialogue after the September 2021 Summit in Washington DC. They will exchange views and assessments about important developments in the Indo-Pacific. The Quad Leaders will also review ongoing efforts to implement the Leaders’ initiatives announced as part of the Quad's contemporary and positive agenda," the Ministry's release further stated.

US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are among those who will take part in the discussion.

The last in-person Quad summit was held on September 24 last year and was hosted by Joe Biden in the White House.

In November 2017, India, Japan, the US and Australia gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence, amidst China’s growing military presence in the strategic region.