Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday departed from New Delhi for Washington to attend the Quad Summit and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). However, the Indian prime minister will first hold bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Modi will then attend the first in-person Quad summit on Friday deliver an address at the 76th UN General Assembly on Saturday. 

While, Modi’s US visit, which will serve as his maiden interaction with newly elected Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and at the Quad Summit holds great diplomatic significance with China, Indo-Pacific region conflicts, COVID and the Taliban crisis in focus, here’s is what’s on India’s agenda for Modi’s debut physical Quad summit.

China

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis that has been rattling the world for almost two years now, is going to be the top-priority agenda on the Quad leaders mind. Now since its inception, China had been blamed for the outbreak. Apart from the pandemic, China’s growing escalation in the Indo-pacific region, especially in the Glawan Valley standoff with India and its tormented relations with both US and India makes China one of the prime focus during the summit.

COVID and vaccines

A fact sheet released by the White House after the virtual Quad meeting in March had said the grouping will be “taking mutual action necessary to expand safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing in 2021 and will work together to strengthen and assist countries in the Indo-Pacific with vaccination.”

Being the world’s largest vaccine maker, India is key to such discussion and the vaccine conversations are going to be an important element in India’s agenda.

Climate Change

After the UN report on climate change, which has uncovered some daunting details about global warming and related phenomenons, climate change is going to be on India’s agenda as we aim to reduce our carbon footprint significantly in the coming years.

Also Read: China, US unveil separate big steps to fight climate change

While PM Modi is expected to push for clean energy in India, President Biden would be keen to bring US clean energy plans back on track after his predecessor Donald Trump’s aggressive rejection of climate commitments.

Technology

As the global leaders aim to reduce China’s involvement in the international market, especially tech-related, India is likely the next closest alternative due to cheap labour and its skillset.

Dyas before the summit, a Japanese media report said Quad leaders will stress on the importance of ‘resilient, diverse and secure technology supply chains for hardware, software, and services.’