Quad summit in Manila: Modi to join US, Japan and Australia leaders for Indo-Pacific talks
Modi to join US, Japan and Australia leaders for Indo-Pacific talks. (Image courtesy: Wikimedia)
New Delhi: The United States will host a Quad leaders’ summit in Manila on Tuesday where India, Australia, Japan and the US are expected to announce new initiatives on economic security and strategic infrastructure. The meeting will mark the first time the four leaders have met since September 2024. It will also take place amid growing tensions between China and the Philippines.
Several deliverables are expected to be announced at the summit. These will focus on strengthening economic security and cooperation in strategic sectors. Critical technologies, maritime domain awareness and infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific are also expected to feature in the discussions, the Hindustan times reported.
The agenda follows the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting held in Atlanta on October 31. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ gathering. The ministers finalized several proposed deliverables for the leaders’ summit.
One of the outcomes of the ministerial meeting was technical and financial assistance worth more than $85 million. The support is aimed at expanding access to trusted artificial intelligence across the Indo-Pacific. The leaders are expected to take forward this cooperation alongside other economic and strategic initiatives.
China-Philippines tensions
The decision to hold the summit in Manila comes as relations between China and the Philippines face renewed strain. The two countries have exchanged sharp remarks over the past several weeks.
The latest diplomatic dispute followed the Philippine defence secretary, Gilberto Teodoro Jr’s, description of China as a regional “troublemaker”. China’s envoy reacted strongly and said the Philippines should be grateful to have China as a neighbour. He also remarked that China could easily win if it wanted to use force.
The president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, described the comments as sounding “very much like a threat”. The Quad leaders are expected to discuss regional developments, including China’s intensifying military and economic coercion, the people familiar with the preparations said.
The Manila meeting will also break with the Quad’s earlier practice of holding leaders’ summits only in member countries. The choice of the Philippines comes at a time when maritime security and regional power competition remain major concerns.
Modi to attend Asean-India and East Asia summits
For India, the meeting will form part of a wider diplomatic engagement in Southeast Asia. The prime minister, Narendra Modi, will visit Manila from November 16 to 17 at the invitation of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
According to the statement issued by ministry of external affairs, Modi will participate in the 23rd Asean-India Summit and the 21st East Asia Summit on Tuesday. The Philippines is hosting both meetings as the Asean chair for 2026.
The Asean-India Summit will review the progress of the comprehensive strategic partnership. Discussions will also cover the Asean-India Plan of Action for 2026–2030 and the future direction of cooperation.
India and Asean have designated 2026 as the Year of Maritime Cooperation. The partnership will reach two milestones in 2027, marking 35 years of dialogue relations and five years of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The East Asia Summit will provide an opportunity for Modi to exchange views with Asean members and other participating countries. Discussions will cover regional and global developments, the MEA said.
Modi is expected to arrive in Manila on the afternoon of November 16. He is scheduled to depart early on November 18.
India was originally scheduled to host the Quad leaders’ summit in 2025. However, New Delhi’s efforts to arrange the meeting were stalled by uncertainty over the US president, Donald Trump, travel plans. The US is now set to host the gathering in the Philippines.
