Cyber Security, SCS on PM’s Quad Meet

New Delhi: The stage is set for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States starting Saturday, which will be his last US trip during the presidency of Joe Biden.

On Sunday morning, the Quad Leaders’ Summit will begin that will see the participation of Biden as the host along with Modi and the Australian and Japanese Prime Ministers. The Quad Summit is expected to take stock of the various initiatives so far in the spheres of climate, critical technologies, cyber security, infrastructure, space, health security partnership, maritime domain awareness and counter-terrorism. China’s military assertiveness in the South China Sea and maritime tensions with the Asean nations such as the Philippines are also expected to figure in a major way during the deliberations. The Quad’s strong focus had been on standing for the freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region and Beijing is expected to keenly watch developments from the summit.

However, it is the “Cancer Moonshot” event that will follow the Quad summit that has evoked much curiosity. It is expected to focus on the Quad’s efforts to combat cancer, including cervical cancer, in the countries of the Indo-Pacific region, boosting the health security partnership with other countries in the region.

In the backdrop of ties with the United States having seen somewhat sudden strains in the past several months due to factors such as India’s continuing close ties with Russia, the Pannun case and strident criticism of India by the US on the human rights and religious freedoms front, the visit -- which comes in the initial months of the Modi government’s third tenure -- presents an opportunity for New Delhi to put ties back on a strong and firm footing by allaying American misgivings and fears at the highest levels.

Modi’s state visit to the US last year had taken the bilateral relationship to new heights, but no one then had predicted that the relationship would see a visible downturn in the following months.