All eyes on Quad discussions on Russia, China as Ministers meet in Melbourne

Regional developments, vaccines, and plans for Quad summit in Tokyo on agenda, Jaishankar to hold bilateral meetings as well

Tensions between Russia and NATO countries and Russia-China ties that have been strengthened during the Beijing Olympics will serve as the backdrop for ‘Quad Ministerial’ talks among External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Ministers of Australia, Japan and the United States being held in Melbourne on Friday. The fourth ministerial, that follows the first in-person summit of Quad leaders in Washington last year, is expected to review progress in the three key areas of cooperation identified by them: Covid-19, climate change and critical and emerging technologies, as well as ensuring a “rules–based” global order.

The four ministers will discuss developments in the Taiwan straits, Ukraine, and the Korean peninsula, where all eyes will be on the wording for both Russia and China, given New Delhi’s reticence in the past over introducing more confrontational language into Quad statements, a grouping that Beijing has criticised as a “Cold War bloc” aimed at driving a wedge between countries of the region. While the two-year old military standoff at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh has been discussed at Quad meets, joint statements have made no direct reference to the situation at the India-China border.