PM Narendra Modi arrived in Tokyo today [May 23, 2022], to attend the much-anticipated Quad leaders’ summit, where he will meet U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the newly elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on May 24. Read Suhasini Haidar’s report looking at what’s on the agenda. The Tokyo summit will be Mr. Albanese’s first big engagement just after being sworn in.
While greater cooperation among Quad members in the Indo-Pacific will be a cornerstone of the leaders’ discussions, their meeting assumes further significance in the wake of Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine. President Biden recently signed a new $ 40 billion aid package for Ukraine, while Japan has said it would extend $ 300 million in loans to Ukraine, trebling its original offer. Will India move any closer to its Quad partners on Russia’s war on Ukraine? With persisting tumult in South Asia, especially crisis-hit Sri Lanka, will the Quad come up with a concerted action plan in the region where it seeks to counter Chinese influence? – these are some of the key questions to track.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has already hit out at the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, just ahead of the meeting, accusing Washington of trying to sow discord in the region. - Ananth Krishnan reports.
Food for thought
Another issue grabbing headlines this week is the impact of India’s recent decision to ban wheat exports, owing to a drastic fall in output amidst a heat wave and skyrocketing domestic prices. Members of the G-7 countries will likely appeal to India to reverse the ban on wheat exports during the upcoming G-7 summit (June 26-28) in Germany that PM Modi might attend. – Suhasini Haidar and Kallol Bhattacharjee report.
Meanwhile, addressing a United Nations ‘Global Food Security Call to Action’ ministerial meeting, Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan, said despite the ban, India will export wheat to countries with food security concerns. - Sriram Lakshman writes on India’s standpoint.
Read The Hindu’s Editorial that argues that apprehensions of shortage in India are misplaced, and the Government must allow export.
Top five
What we are reading - the best of The Hindu’s Opinion and Analysis:
- In this piece reflecting on the turmoil in our neighbourhood, The Hindu’s Diplomatic Affairs Editor Suhasini Haidar argues that the Modi government must learn lessons from the political culture that let down the “alpha leaders” in neighbouring democracies.
- India’s flip-flop on the export of wheat is an example of the Government lacking a coherent policy of food security, argue Madhura Swaminathan and Deepak Johnson in this piece.
- With the Russian invasion of Ukraine nearing three months, Sweden and Finland (SweFin), the two Nordic countries that have historically stayed out of military alliances, have formally applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). But Turkey, a NATO member for over half a century, is objecting. Why? Stanly Johny explains in this article.
- Commenting on Iran’s regional centrality and isolation, former Vice President Hamid Ansari observes that the U.S. has a tough choice between its strategic objectives in West Asia and the implications of Iran’s location in this opinion piece.
- Read this tribute to Australian cricketing star Andrew Symonds by Suresh Menon, who writes he was “a player of 60s vintage who showed us what 2020s might be like”.
Published - May 23, 2022 12:39 pm IST