Reading Time: 12 mins With the coronavirus pandemic and the US-China trade tensions threatening the global supply chain, Japan had called for a tripartite Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI), with India and Australia as other two partners. The three countries have decided to launch the initiative to build resilient supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region later this year.
Reading Time: 9 mins Quad Plus, which includes Quad countries along with South Korea, New Zealand and Vietnam, initiated weekly video conferences since March 20 to discuss the common issues pertaining to COVID-19 pandemic. These discussions have brought Quad back into focus as one of the important groupings in the Indo-Pacific. While the expansion of the alliance to ensure international cooperation to deal with this crisis a step in the right direction, the ultimate objective of countering China’s aggression has been put on the backburner though Beijing has increased its hostility in the South China Sea and Sino-Indian borders.
Reading Time: 11 mins Australia’s Prime Minister had called off his four-day visit to India from January 13 due to the catastrophic bushfires in his home country. However, when it does take place, the next India-Australia summit will be an important occasion to promote the bilateral ties between the two nations. The bilateral relations between India and Australia is often characterised as one of the perpetually unfulfilled promises. However, for the first time since India’s independence, India and Australia currently have an opportunity to develop diplomatic ties that are free from irritants. This is due to the common interests of the two nations that have come forth in the current changing geopolitics.Â
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