Quad leaders' meeting in Manila to discuss economic security and strategic infrastructure

According to a report by Hindustan Times, leaders of India, Australia, Japan and America will participate in the Quad leaders' summit under the framework of the Asian Summit organised in Manila next week. During this summit, several important decisions and initiatives focusing on economic security and strategic infrastructure are likely to be announced. This summit will be the first major meeting of Quad leaders since September 2024.

This upcoming summit has been organised by the US. As per the report, India was to assume the presidency of this leaders' summit in 2025, but difficulties arose in organising this meeting due to a lack of clarity in US President Donald Trump's travel plans last year. This time, the summit is to be organised in Manila, outside the member countries, which indicates a significant shift.

The key themes and outcomes for this summit have been planned in advance. A Quad foreign ministers' meeting was held during the G-20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta on 31 October, where the outcomes of this summit were determined. In this meeting, it was decided to provide more than $85 million in technical and financial assistance to support the use of trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Indo-Pacific region.

Economic security will remain a primary focus for the Quad. Additionally, the group will continue its work on critical technology, maritime domain awareness, and strategic infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region. There is no complete clarity yet regarding the timing of this summit, but according to reports, it is likely to be held after the East Asia Summit on 17 November.

According to information regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, he is expected to arrive in Manila on the afternoon of 16 November and will depart from there early in the morning on 18 November. The organisation of this summit in Manila comes at a time when tensions between China and the Philippines are constantly rising.

Tense exchanges have been observed between China and the Philippines for the past month. Philippine Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. had identified China as a regional "troublemaker", to which the Chinese ambassador reacted strongly. The Chinese ambassador stated that the Philippines should be grateful to have a neighbour like China and if they wanted to use force, they could easily win. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos called these comments "threatening".

In these circumstances, the organisation of the Quad summit in Manila by the US is considered extremely important. According to Marco Rubio, this summit could yield concrete results. Through decisions on economic security and strategic infrastructure at this summit, an attempt will be made to increase regional stability and cooperation.

The Quad was a strategic group between India, America, Japan and Australia. The main objective of this group has been to promote a free and open region in the Indo-Pacific and to increase security and economic cooperation in this region.