Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, May 23: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Tokyo on Monday, will meet with top Japanese business executives and attend an Indo-Pacific economic framework meeting (IPEF).
IPEF will be launched this evening by US Vice President Joe Biden. The IPEF is a US President’s initiative that is considered a response to Chinese influence in the region. Biden will introduce the IPEF, but the initiative’s contents are still unknown.
The Prime Minister will attend the IPEF launch. It remains to be seen whether India would join the initiative or whether conversations will take place.
Through IPEF, the US will seek out regional partners to collaborate on shared goals such as renewable energy, decarbonization, infrastructure, and supply chain improvement.
India has often emphasised the importance of a stable supply chain. The Indian Ambassador to Japan, Sanjay Kumar Verma, told ANI that the supply chain will remain the key topic of discussion at the summit.
India will also attend tomorrow’s Quad meet, which is anticipated to refocus attention on the Indo-Pacific region. Many people think of Quad as a counter-force to China, but the Indian envoy to Japan argues it isn’t aimed at anyone.
On Tuesday, the Quad meet is expected to be dominated by the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
