Global issues, challenges to be discussed at first Quad Summit

Washington, Mar 10 (PTI):
The top leaders of the US, India, Australia and Japan will hold their first summit under the framework of the Quadrilateral coalition on Friday to discuss a range of issues facing the international community, the White House has announced, amidst growing global concerns over China’s increasing assertiveness in the strategic Indo-Pacific region.
Announcing the virtual summit to be held on March 12, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that US President Joe Biden will discuss a variety of global issues ranging from COVID-19 challenge, economic crisis and climate change during the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
Formed in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami and formalised in 2007, the Quad has met regularly at the working and foreign minister level. However, on Friday will be the first time that the Quad is meeting at the leader level, Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference.
“That President Biden has made this one of his earliest multilateral engagements speaks to the importance we place on close cooperation with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific,” she said.
“A range of issues, of course, we expect to be discussed, I should say, facing the global community from the threat of COVID to economic cooperation and, of course, to the climate crisis,” she said.
Psaki described India, Australia and Japan as key partners to the United States.
At a separate news conference, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the summit will showcase the Quad’s ability to pool capabilities and build habits of cooperation to address some of those urgent challenges they face.