PM Modi discusses defence manufacturing, trade, technology with Japanese PM Kishida in Tokyo

TOKYO: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida here and the two leaders undertook a comprehensive stocktaking of the entire framework of the bilateral partnership to carry forward cooperation in diverse areas, including defence manufacturing in India and trade and technology.

Prime Minister Modi, who is here for the second in-person Quad summit, held a bilateral meeting with Kishida during which they underscored the importance of maintaining the momentum of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries.

"Both leaders undertook a comprehensive stocktaking of the entire framework of bilateral partnership to carry forward our cooperation in diverse areas, including in the field of defence manufacturing in India, skill development, partnership, trade and technology partnership cooperation, including for resilient supply chains in the region, and other areas," Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said in a media briefing.

This is Prime Minister Modi's fifth visit to Japan since becoming Prime Minister and his second meeting with his Japanese counterpart Kishida, he said.

Prime Minister Kishida invited Prime Minister Modi to visit Japan later this year for the annual summit, the Foreign Secretary said. "In fact, during the summit, both Prime Ministers underscored the importance of maintaining the momentum of regular high level exchanges between the two countries," he added.

Prime Minister Modi, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida and Australia's newly-elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday attended the second in-person Quad summit which took place under the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The summit also took place at a time when the relations between China and the Quad member countries have become tense, with Beijing increasingly challenging democratic values and resorting to coercive trade practices.

India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military manoeuvring in the region.

China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea.

In March last year, President Biden hosted the first-ever summit of the Quad leaders in the virtual format that was followed by an in-person summit in Washington in September. The Quad leaders also held a virtual meeting in March. Australia will host the next Quad summit in 2023.

In November 2017, India, Japan, the US and Australia gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence, amidst China's growing military presence in the strategic region.

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