'Quad is here to stay': Modi's message to China at Leaders' Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the Quad is not against anyone, but for a rules-based international order and respect for sovereignty, in a veiled reference to China.

"Free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific is our priority," Modi said in his opening remarks on Saturday at the summit hosted by President Joe Biden and also attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

"We are not against anyone. We all support a rules-based international order, respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and peaceful resolution of all issues," Modi said, without naming any country.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims.

"Our message is clear -- Quad is here to stay, to assist, to partner and to complement," Modi said.

"Together we have taken many positive and inclusive initiatives in areas like health security, critical and emerging technologies, climate change, capacity building," he said.

He said that the Quad leaders have gathered at a time when the world is surrounded by tensions and conflicts.

"At such a time, the working together of Quad with its democratic values is significant for the entire human race," the prime minister said.

'Glad to have met Quad Leaders during today's Summit in Wilmington, Delaware. The discussions were fruitful, focusing on how Quad can keep working to further global good. We will keep working together in key sectors like healthcare, technology, climate change and capacity building,' Modi said in a post on X.

During the meeting, the leaders discussed novel ways of cooperating with partners in Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and South Asia while reviewing and steering the direction for the future of Quad cooperation, a senior administration official told reporters after the meeting.

Calling their conversation 'wide-ranging', the official said the talks ranged from deepening security and the maritime security space, the Quad logistics network, and ways to deepen humanitarian assistance and disaster relief cooperation.

Responding to a question, the official said North Korea was also touched on, and more was supposed to be discussed during the dinner.

"There's a lot of alignment in our perspectives on North Korea," said the official, pointing to the joint statement, which has the strongest language against North Korea that the Quad has ever offered.

"Obviously, all of these leaders share significant concerns about the degree to which Russian military assistance is emboldening North Korea and contributing to its illicit programmes," said the official.

'Quad -- a force for global good!,' the Ministry of External Affairs said in a post on X.

'PM reaffirmed India's commitment to the Quad cooperation for a free and open Indo-Pacific. Quad will continue to assist the region's development priorities and accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals,' it added.

Reiterating that the Quad remains a 'force for global good', the four leaders announced various initiatives to address the development priorities of the Indo-Pacific region and the global community as a whole, the MEA said in a press release.

During the Quad Leaders' Cancer Moonshot event, Modi announced the dedication of a grant of $7.5 million to cancer testing, screening and diagnostics in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Quad Cancer Moonshot is a 'groundbreaking partnership' to save lives in the Indo-Pacific region by combating cervical cancer.

"India is ready to share its experience and expertise," Modi said in his remarks, asserting that the grant was made under India's vision of 'One Earth, One Health'.

He added that India will also provide assistance in radiotherapy treatment and capacity building.

"When the Quad acts, it is not just for nations, it is for the people. This is the true essence of our human-centric approach," he said.

'Cooperation in healthcare -- a key Quad priority. PM @narendramodi participated in the Quad Cancer Moonshot event today. The four leaders committed to detection, prevention and treatment of cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific region. In keeping with India's vision of ONE WORLD, ONE HEALTH, PM announced the dedication of a grant of USD 7.5 million to cancer testing, screening and diagnostics in the Indo-Pacific region,' the MEA said in a separate post on X.

Other initiatives launched include the 'Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific' (MAITRI) to enable Indo-Pacific partners to maximize tools provided through the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness and other Quad initiatives.

The first-ever 'Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission' in 2025 was also launched to improve interoperability and advance maritime safety.

'Quad Ports of the Future Partnership', which will harness the grouping's collective expertise to support sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific, was launched.

'Quad Principles for Development and Deployment of Digital Public Infrastructure' in the region and beyond, and a 'Semiconductor Supply Chains Contingency Network Memorandum of Cooperation' to enhance the resilience of Quad's semiconductor supply chains, were also launched.

The leaders also launched the Collective Quad effort to boost energy efficiency, including the deployment and manufacturing of high-efficiency affordable cooling systems in the Indo-Pacific region.

An initiative for India's establishment of a space-based web portal for Mauritius, to support the concept of open science for space-based monitoring of extreme weather events and climate impact, was also launched.

Also launched was a new sub-category under the Quad STEM Fellowship, announced by India, for students of the Indo-Pacific region to pursue a four-year bachelor's level engineering programme at a Government of India-funded technical institute.

"The leaders all thanked Prime Minister Kishida for his extraordinary tenure, which will be coming to an end at the beginning of October after Japan elects a new prime minister. And of course, thank President Biden for the leadership role that he is taking in launching the Quad to a truly institutionalised partnership in the Indo-Pacific," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

During the summit, Modi recalled the first Quad Summit held in 2021 under Biden's leadership and said, "In such a short time we have expanded our cooperation unprecedentedly in every direction."

"I thank you for your steadfast commitment, your leadership, and your contributions to the Quad," he said.

This was a farewell summit for President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida as they near the end of their term in office.

Modi said he will be happy to host the Quad Summit in 2025.

The Quad Leaders' Summit this year was earlier supposed to be held in India, but US President Biden was keen to hold the event in his hometown.

The US, Japan, India and Australia had in 2017 given shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the 'Quad' or the Quadrilateral coalition to counter China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region.

The four-member Quad, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, advocates upholding a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific. China claims that the grouping aims to contain its rise.