Afghanistan, China may top agenda of PM’S US visit
NEW DELHI: The situation in Afghanistan and its impact on extremism and terrorism, China’s assertive actions across the region, and ways to enhance India-us cooperation, especially in areas such as defence, trade and energy, are expected to figure in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interactions in the US this week.
Besides holding his first in-person meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington on September 24, Modi will participate in the maiden in-person summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, on the same day as part of his September 22-25 visit to the US.
Modi is expected to meet US vice president Kamala Harris and hold bilateral meetings with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga – the other members of the Quad – on September 23. He will also hold a meeting with top American business leaders the same day in order to drum up trade and investments as part of India’s post-covid recovery efforts.
After his engagements in Washington, Modi will travel to New York to address the UN General Assembly on September 25. His speech to the world body is expected to focus on post-pandemic recovery, terrorism, especially in the context of developments in Afghanistan, peoplecentric development, and reforms of the UN, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity.
New Delhi is looking forward to substantial outcomes from the Quad Summit because India currently has strong strategic partnerships with all the three other members of the grouping, especially the relationship with Australia, which has been significantly upgraded with the forging
of a comprehensive strategic partnership and the holding of the maiden 2+2 dialogue of defence and foreign ministers.
Besides taking forward the vaccine partnership unveiled in March at the first virtual Quad Summit, the Indian side is expecting progress on collaboration in new and emerging technologies, including the setting of standards and norms, and measures to ensure a free and open Indo-pacific against the backdrop of China’s aggressive actions.
“China is the elephant in the room that will come up in the meetings. There is a growing realisation among all Quad members about the challenges posed by China, whether it is in terms of trade actions against Australia or its activities in the South China Sea,” one of the people cited above said.
The US pushed for the holding of the Quad Summit in order to overcome uncertainty created by Suga’s sudden recent decision to step down over the criticism of his handling of the Covid-19 crisis. It is believed this was part of US efforts to address criticism of
its standing on the world stage following the debacle in Afghanistan.
While the US has faced criticism from around the world for the handling of its drawdown in Afghanistan, the Indian side is keen to focus on the way forward in dealing with developments in the war-torn country, including the possible use of Afghan soil for acts of terrorism and keeping an eye on Pakistan’s role in the situation, the people said.
The situation in Afghanistan is expected to focus in both the Quad Summit and the Modibiden meeting, and the talks are expected to help in fashioning greater clarity on issues such as the status of the setup created by the Taliban in Kabul.
The Indian side is setting a lot of stock by UN Security Council resolution 2593, which was passed last month when India held the rotating presidency of the body, and sets out a framework for preventing the use of Afghan soil for terrorism, taking action against Un-sanctioned groups such as Lashkar-e-taiba, and ensuring an inclusive government in Kabul.
At the Modi-biden bilateral meeting, the Indian side is expected to present its proposals to take forward cooperation in several key areas, including people-to-people exchanges, travel and mobility, H-1B visas, Covid19-related supply chains, vaccine production, emerging technologies, consolidating defence cooperation by fully operationalising the foundational agreements, and energy, the people said.
Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla told a media briefing on Tuesday that Modi and Biden are expected to focus on bolstering trade and investment, strengthening defence and security collaboration and boosting the strategic clean energy partnership.
“The bilateral meeting will also feature the current regional security situation following recent developments in Afghanistan, our stakes as a neighbour and a longstanding and a preferred development partner of Afghanistan,” he said. “In this context, we would undoubtedly discuss the need to stem radicalism, extremism, cross-border terrorism and the dismantling of global terrorist networks.”