PM Modi and PM Kishida will also discuss India’s G20 presidency priorities.
New Delhi:
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to unveil his plan for a “free and open Indo-Pacific” during a visit to New Delhi on Monday, focusing on India’s growing role in the region.
The evolving situation in the Indo-Pacific region, against the backdrop of China’s growing military assertiveness, is also likely to be reflected in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wide-ranging talks with Kishida.
The Japanese prime minister is due to arrive in New Delhi on Monday morning for a roughly 27-hour visit aimed at further expanding bilateral ties, covering a range of areas including defense and security, trade and investment and high technology.
Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Kishida will also discuss the priorities of India’s G20 presidency and Japan’s G7 presidency.
The Japanese prime minister is expected to unveil his “free and open Indo-Pacific peace plan” in a speech organized by the Indian Council of World Affairs at Sushma Swaraj Bhavan, people familiar with the matter said on Saturday.
The plan is expected to highlight India’s importance to the Indo-Pacific region.
Speaking at the famous Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last June, Prime Minister Kishida said he would draw up plans for the Indo-Pacific next spring.
“I will develop a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific Peace Plan’ next spring, which will strengthen Japan’s efforts to further advance its vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, focusing on providing patrol ships and strengthening maritime law enforcement capabilities, as well as cybersecurity, digital and green initiatives and economic security,” he said.
The plan is expected to provide details of Japan’s policy and approach to the Indo-Pacific region.
In recent years, almost all major countries have launched Indo-Pacific strategies one after another.
Japan has been promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific to maintain and strengthen the rules-based international order in the region.
It is also concerned about China’s aggressive military posture in the East China Sea, South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
Japan is also a member of the Quadruple Alliance, which has also been working to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Australia, India and the United States are other members of the Quartet.
During the quadrilateral leaders’ summit in Tokyo last May, US President Joe Biden launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), an initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation among like-minded countries in areas such as clean energy, supply-chain resilience and digital trade.
At the summit, the quartet leaders also launched the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative (IPMDA).
The main purpose of the IPMDA is to monitor the region’s waters against the backdrop of China’s continued flexing of its muscles in the region.
(Aside from the title, this story is unedited by NDTV staff and published via a syndicated feed.)
