Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visited the United States of America (USA) from 22 to 25 September 2021 and participated in the 1st in-person QUAD Leaders’ Summit in Washington D.C., the USA, along with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and US President Joe Biden.
- The QUAD meeting was hosted by Joe Biden. QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) countries – includes India, Japan, the USA, and Australia.
- The 1st-ever QUAD Leaders’ summit was held virtually in March 2021.
Fact sheet of QUAD Leaders’ Summit:
i.The QUAD countries have committed to donate more than 1.2 billion doses globally of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, and as a part of the commitment, they have delivered nearly 79 million vaccine doses to countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
ii.Japan plans to work with India through Japan Bank for International Cooperation, to enhance key investments of approximately $100 million in the healthcare sector related to COVID-19.
iii.Fellowship programme: They have announced a fellowship programme to allow students from the 4 countries to pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at US universities.
- The Fellowship will sponsor 100 students per year i.e. 25 from each QUAD country. The founding sponsors of the fellowship program include Accenture, Blackstone, Boeing, Google, Mastercard, and Western Digital.
iv.Quad has launched a Track 1.5 industry dialogue on Open RAN (Radio Access Network) deployment and adoption to support the critical role of Quad governments in fostering and promoting a diverse, resilient, and secure telecommunications ecosystem.
v.Quad forms a Green-Shipping Network and plans to launch a Quad Shipping Task Force to organise their work and aims to establish 2 to 3 Quad low-emission or zero-emission shipping corridors by 2030.
vi.QUAD countries agreed to deepen their cooperation in counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and called on the Taliban to abide by UN Security Council Resolution 2593.
vii.The QUAD countries have also issued a joint statement on tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and critical and emerging technologies. Click here to know more
Note – PM has represented QUAD as ‘Force for Global good’.
Bilateral Meeting: PM had his 1st bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden and reviewed the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and potential for further strengthening of bilateral cooperation.
PM addressed the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2021.
PM’s Meet on Sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit:
i.PM meeting with business leaders:
- PM met Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar and stated about India’s target of 450 GW electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030. He also met Shantanu Narayen, President and CEO of Adobe, and Cristiano Amon, CEO of Qualcomm.
- PM also met Mr. Stephen Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone, in which they have discussed Blackstone’s ongoing projects in India, and investment opportunities in India under infrastructure and real estate sectors.
- Stephen A. Schwarzman had earlier released the long-awaited book titled, “What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence” that uses impactful episodes from Schwarzman’s life to show readers how to build, transform, and lead thriving organizations.
ii.PM had a 1st in-person meeting with Kamala Harris, Vice President of the USA, in Washington DC and discussed India’s National Hydrogen Energy Mission (NHEM).
- In August 2021, PM launched the NHEM for generating hydrogen from green power sources. Rs 1500 Crore was allocated in the 2021-22 budget to achieve India’s target of 175 GW by 2022.
iii.The PM had a Bilateral meeting with Australian PM Scott Morrison ahead of the Quad Leaders’ Summit and discussed the issues of bilateral, regional and global importance.
- They discussed the engagement between both the nations through the 1st ever 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with Australia, which was hosted by India in New Delhi. Click here to know more.
iv.PM met H.E. Suga Yoshihide, PM of Japan, in Washington DC both of them agreed to enhance bilateral security and defence cooperation, including in the area of defence equipment and technologies.
- They have also reaffirmed their commitment towards a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region and to improve the implementation of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project.
- In March 2021, the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) and Japan Railway Track Consultant Co. Limited (JRTC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Track works in the 237-km stretch between Vadodara & Vapi in Gujarat for the MAHSR
- MAHSR is India’s 1st Bullet Train Project and is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1.08 Lakh Crore. Click here to know more
v.The United States(US) has handed over as many as 157 artefacts and antiquities to the Indian PM, Narendra Modi. The artefacts include terracotta pieces and cultural antiquities belonging to the period of 11th CE (Century) to 14th CE and figurines related to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Recent Related News:
The Secretary of State of the United States (US), Antony Blinken visited India from July 27-28, 2021. This is Blinken’s 1st visit to India after assuming charge as Secretary of State.
About United States (US)
Capital – Washington, D.C.
Currency – United States Dollar (USD)
President – Joe Biden
