Quad nations to take on China in cutting-edge tech, health sector

Sandeep Dikshit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 25

The Quad’s first in-person summit in Washington put teeth into its joint enterprise by announcing initiatives that will set the pace in technical standards for frontier technologies such as 5G and outer space.

PM  lead speaker

• PM Narendra Modi was accorded due seniority and he was asked to be the last to arrive and the first to leave
• He was the lead speaker on the theme of tech and cyber security, and made important suggestions on taking forward cooperation
• The Quad Leaders’ Summit was structured around four themes – Afghanistan and regional security, Covid response, tech and cyber security, and climate

A joint statement issued after the Quad meeting hosted by US President Joe Biden at the White House steered clear of mentioning China or Taiwan, which had appeared in last month’s Quad senior officials’ meeting. The Quad, however, made it clear that it would be “undaunted by coercion” in its efforts to bolster security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

The reference to the security component of the Quad in Asia-Pacific, which is the cynosure of attention from allies and rivals alike, was couched in generic terms – resolving to adhere to freedom of navigation and overflight, democratic values and territorial integrity of states. It described the goal of a free and open Indo-Pacific as the bedrock of the Quad’s shared security and prosperity.

But the joint statement spelt out initiatives in cutting-edge technology and the health sector, including the launch of a standards-setting rule book — “Quad Principles on Technology Design, Development, Governance, and Use”. This will be the basis for setting up sector-specific contact groups that will unloosen the growing control of China over critical technologies and materials, including semiconductors, by suggesting diverse and secure supply chains.

It announced new cooperation in cyber space to jointly combat cyber threats as well as decided to identify new collaboration opportunities in space and share satellite data on “responding to challenges in shared domains”. The Quad will also consult on rules, norms, guidelines and principles for ensuring the sustainable use of outer space.

The Quad summit also launched a new Quad infrastructure partnership that will take shape alongside the G7’s infrastructure efforts and in cooperation with the EU. As of now, it will map the Asia-Pacific’s infrastructure needs and provide technical assistance such as evaluative tools. The Quad also announced that production at Telangana-based Biological E Limited (BioE) would come on line later this year for exports to Indo-Pacific and accepted the Quad Vaccine Experts Group’s recommendation to commence joint work in clinical trials and genomic surveillance to end the pandemic and build better health security. 

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