Modi-abe summit likely in early Sept

NEW DELHI: The much-awaited summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is scheduled to take place early next month with the signing of the Acquisition and Cross-servicing Agreement (ACSA) on the cards and the possibility of some Japanese manufacturers shifting production to India. The December 15-17, 2019 summit in Guwahati was postponed because of protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Assam.

According to South Block officials, while the dates of the summit are being finalized, the virtual summit between Modi and Abe will be held in early September and at a time when both countries are facing the brunt of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Ladakh and the Senkaku Islands, respectively.

The virtual summit will not only discuss the Chinese aggression in Ladakh and the South China Sea, but also cement the QUAD, a four-nation strategic forum, with both the US and Australia ready to deter Beijing’s wolf warrior diplomacy and keep the sea lanes of communication open for freedom of navigation. While the decision of inviting Australia to the Malabar naval exercises at the end of the year is more or less a mere formality, the two leaders will discuss the Indo-pacific region and the challenges it faces from the Middle Kingdom. The ACSA, which is key to India and Japan extending logistics and other support to each other’s military, is expected to be initialled by the two leaders; India has a similar agreement with the other two members of the QUAD.

According to senior government officials, the two leaders will further cement economic cooperation with India opening the doors to Japanese manufacturing activity and perhaps involving Tokyo in ramping up port infrastructure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

While India has linked peace and tranquility on its border with China to overall bilateral ties, Prime Minister Abe is also under pressure from his own Cabinet members to adopt a tough line on China. Beijing’s expansion drive is not limited to Ladakh, but has created security concerns with Japan over the ownership of Senkaku Islands. China, which calls them Diaoyu Islands, claims ownership of them with any eye towards extending its exclusive economic zone and strengthening its hold beyond the South China Sea. The Japanese are not only in favour of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Tokyo being cancelled, but also want the Abe government to be more critical of Beijing on the new Hong Kong security law.