Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

On March 3, 2023, the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in New Delhi to discuss various issues related to regional security and cooperation.

The Quad discussed the commitment of India, Australia, Japan, and the United States to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
The meeting reaffirmed the principles of freedom, rule of law, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and peaceful dispute settlement, freedom of navigation and over flight.
The meeting also opposed any unilateral attempt to change the status quo.
The Quad seeks to support the region through practical cooperation on contemporary challenges, including: health security, climate change, critical and emerging technologies, infrastructure, and connectivity.
The Quad ministers committed to supporting Pacific Island countries and strengthening the ASEAN-led architecture through: Cooperation with the Indian Ocean Rim Association, and emphasizing upon the rules-based international order, including the UN Charter.
The ministers also stressed the importance of respect for sovereignty consistent with international law.
The importance of peace and security in the maritime domain and countering terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations.
Strengthening the ASEAN-led Architecture. The Importance of Rules-based International Order, Including the UN Charter
Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in All Forms and Manifestations.

Quad Leaders’ Summit

On 20^th May 2023, Indian Prime Minister participated in the third in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit held in Hiroshima, Japan, along with Prime Minister of Australia, Prime Minister of Japan, and President of the United States of America.

The Quad Leaders’ Vision Statement- “Enduring Partners for the Indo-Pacific” was released during the summit.

Initiatives announced during the summit include:

Clean Energy Supply Chains Initiative: Clean Energy Supply Chains Initiative would facilitate research and development and support the Indo-Pacific’s energy transition.
In addition, the Quad Principles of Clean Energy Supply Chains were approved to guide engagement with the region on clean energy supply chain development.
Quad Infrastructure Fellowships Programme: The programme will support policy makers and practitioners in the region to design, build and manage sustainable and viable infrastructure in their countries.
Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience: It aims to leverage Quad’s collective expertise in design, manufacturing, laying and maintenance of undersea cables to secure and diversify these critical networks.
ORAN Deployment in Palau: The leaders announced their support for the deployment of Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) in Palau, marking the first such deployment in the Pacific region.
They also released the ORAN Security Report to support industry investment in open, interoperable and secure telecom platforms.
Quad Investors' Network: A private sector-led platform called the Quad Investors' Network has been launched to facilitate investments in strategic technologies.
Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness: The leaders welcomed progress of the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, which was announced during the previous Quad Summit last year in Tokyo.
Data Sharing Partners in South East and the Pacific: They noted that data sharing with partners in Southeast Asia and the Pacific under this programme is underway and would soon include partners in the Indian Ocean Region.
Indian Prime Minister highlighted how India’s approach to demand-driven development cooperation with the region was contributing to these efforts.
The leaders also emphasized the need to preserve the integrity of the United Nations (UN), its Charter, and its agencies. The leaders agreed to maintain regular dialogue and sustain the momentum of Quad engagement.

G7 Ministerial Meeting on Health Innovation

On 14th May, 2023, the G7 Ministerial meeting on Health Innovation was held in Nagasaki, Japan. Health Ministers of the G7 countries and invited “Outreach 4” countries of India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand participated in the meeting.

The meeting was held to discuss the priorities, implementation and utilization of health innovation like digital health towards ensuring Universal Health Coverage.

Key points of India's address are:

Use of Technology in Health Service Delivery: Use of technology & Digital Health Tools are an enabler & equalizer which can facilitate strengthened health service delivery and aid in achievement of Universal Health Coverage.
The COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed the use of technology in health service delivery and also highlighted the need to focus on an enabling framework to bridge the digital divide across the countries, specifically amongst low-and-middle-income countries.
Co-WIN: India’s COVID-19 vaccine delivery platform, Co-WIN has monitored the administration of over 2.2 billion vaccine doses across the length and breadth of the country and monitored not only cold chain management but also facilitated citizens and vaccinators in administration of the vaccines besides providing a QR code based digital vaccine certificate.
eSanjeevani: This national telemedicine platform, launched during the pandemic, has already coordinated more than 115 million free of cost consultations to the citizens, making it the world’s biggest telemedicine platform.
Digital Health Tools: Artificial Intelligence, smart wearables & big data analytics can aid precision medicine, personalized healthcare, genomics, and Clinical Decision Support Systems, ensuring the right treatment to the right person at the right time.
India has already taken a policy decision to provide all such digital tools free of cost to the world as Digital Public Goods.
Digital Health as a Priority: India’s G20 Presidency has brought digital health as a specific priority and has proposed the convergence mechanisms of all digital initiatives across the world through formation of Global Initiative on Digital Health housed at World Health Organization’s headquarter.
This initiative with a network-of-network approach will be crucial in bridging the global digital divide and urged the support of G7 countries for the proposed initiative in this regard.

8th Meeting of Agriculture Ministers of SCO

On 12th May, 2023, the 8th meeting of Agriculture Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries was held through video conferencing.

During the meeting, India said it gives importance to its relations with SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions.

The key points of India’s address are:

Smart Agriculture Project: Under the chairmanship of India, SCO member countries adopted the Smart Agriculture project.
Cooperation for Food and Nutrition Security: India said in order to maintain the normal functioning of the food supply chain in the present conditions, there is a need for close contact and cooperation between various countries for food and nutrition security.
Budget Allocation: The budget allocation for agriculture and allied sectors in India has increased more than 5 times in 10 years from 2013-14.
India’s Performance: India said it has performed well in the agriculture sector, contributing to global food security with food grain production, registering a significant growth in exports, and exports of agricultural and allied products have crossed Rs 4 lakh crore.
Sharing Best Practices: India, with its comprehensive development path in the agriculture sector, will continue to share its best practices and build capacities with other countries, bilaterally as well as in collaboration with international organizations, so that they too become self-reliant and food-secure nations.
Role of Research: The rich agricultural research has played an important role in solving the issue of food security, improving the income of farmers and agriculture workers and also for the sustenance of the people in India.
Technology and Innovation: Efforts are being made by the Government of India to make the country self-reliant in the agriculture sector with concerted efforts in innovation, digital agriculture, climate smart technologies, development of high yielding, biofortified varieties, and agricultural research.
Digitization: Under National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture, Agristack and India Digital Eco-system for Agriculture, most of the schemes are being digitized and brought on a single platform, so that farmers can easily access these schemes and take benefits from them.

SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

On 4^th & 5^th May, 2023, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ meeting was held in Benaulim, Goa.

The meeting focused on stepping up economic cooperation, including national currency payments for mutual trade.

The key points of deliberations are as follows:

Proposal for National Currency Payments: The proposal for national currency payments came from Central Asian members and was prompted by the Ukraine war and sanctions imposed on Russia, a founding member of the organisation.
Economic And Cultural Cooperation: During India's presidency, the country is bringing issues of economic and cultural cooperation to the SCO's agenda, along with traditional security and terrorism issues.
Induction of Iran and Belarus: The meeting also discussed the induction of Iran and Belarus as full members and considered applications for observer status for Kuwait, UAE, Myanmar, and Maldives to join the grouping.
National Payments Collaboration: A final decision on all points, including national payments collaboration, will be taken at the SCO Heads of State Summit in July.

India Hosts SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting

On, April 28, 2023, India hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting in New Delhi.

The key points of deliberations were as follows:

Terrorism: India urged member states to collectively root out terrorism and hold its supporters accountable.
India emphasized that any kind of terrorist act or support to it is a major crime against humanity and that peace and prosperity cannot coexist with this menace.
Regional and International Security: The participants discussed issues of regional and international security under the charter of SCO, and expressed their "collective will to make the region secure, peaceful, and prosperous".
China's Statement on Bilateral Talks: China, in a statement on bilateral talks between Chinese Defence Minister and Indian Defence Minister, said that the two countries share far "more common interests than differences" and urged both sides to take a long-term view, place the border issue in an appropriate position in bilateral relations, and promote the transition of the border situation to normalized management.
Peace and Security: India emphasized that it believes in maintaining peace and security based on UN Charter provisions, and is committed towards defence capacity building of SCO member states for shared security interests.

4th India-CARICOM Ministerial Meeting

On 21^st April, 2023, India’s External Affairs Minister co-chaired the 4^th India-CARICOM Ministerial Meeting with his Jamaican counterpart in Georgetown, Guyana's capital.

The External Affairs Minister also had separate bilateral meetings with counterparts from Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Grenada, and Barbados.
The participants discussed wide-ranging India-CARICOM sectoral cooperation, including in Trade & Economy; Agriculture & Food Security; Health & Pharma; Energy & Renewables; Infrastructure, ICT & eGovernance; Development Partnership & Capacity Building; Higher Education; Culture and P2P domains.
They also exchanged views on vital issues of Climate Change & Disaster Resilience; Counter Terrorism; Reformed Multilateralism and closer cooperation at multilateral forums.
The participants agreed on follow-up steps, including holding the second Joint Commission Meeting this year.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is a grouping of twenty countries: fifteen Member States and five Associate Members.

CARICOM came into being on 4^th July, 1973, with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas by Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Treaty was later revised in 2002 to allow for the eventual establishment of a single market and a single economy.
CARICOM rests on four main pillars: economic integration; foreign policy coordination; human and social development; and security.

2nd Meeting of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG)

On 12^th and 13^th April, 2023, the second meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) was held in Washington DC on the margins of the 2023 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group.

Objective: The objective of this FMCBG meeting was to deliberate on the progress made by the various workstreams of the G20 Finance Track on the deliverables that were tasked to them by the Ministers and Governors in the February G20 FMCBG Chair’s Summary and Outcome Document and to seek guidance on the way forward.
Key Challenges: The members discussed the key challenges to the global economic outlook, including the war in Ukraine, food and energy insecurity, climate change, and recent risks to financial stability.
Members agreed that the G20 can contribute to building a common understanding on fostering a conducive environment for global economic recovery, and ensuring that the most vulnerable countries and sections of the population are adequately protected.
Debt Crisis: On the debt agenda, discussions focused on strengthening multilateral coordination towards addressing the increasing debt distress in low-income and vulnerable middle-income countries. Ministers and Governors reiterated the need to swiftly complete the ongoing debt treatments under the Common Framework and beyond.
SDGs: The discussions also focussed on the mobilisation of resources for climate change, the role of the multilateral financial institutions in catalysing private finance flows for Sustainable Development Goals and the role of the G20 in scaling up and encouraging wider adoption of social impact investment instruments.
Crypto-assets Ecosystem: The Members also deliberated on the macroeconomic and financial challenges posed by the crypto-assets ecosystem and exchanged views on potential global policy responses to crypto-assets, taking into account the risks, especially to Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs).
Financial Inclusion: On financial inclusion, discussions focused on leveraging Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for financial inclusion and productivity gains.
Taxation: The Members discussed the need for coordinated efforts toward effective implementation and wider adoption of the two-pillar international tax package.
The progress achieved during the 2^nd G20 FMCBG meeting will inform the discussions during the 3^rd G20 FMCBG meeting which will be held in July 2023 in Gandhinagar, India, and subsequently the Leaders’ Summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 8-9, 2023.

Fourth Quad Ministerial Meeting

On 11^th February, 2022, the fourth Quad Ministerial Meeting was held in Melbourne, Australia. India's Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne, and Foreign Minister of Japan Yoshimasa Hayashi participated in the meeting. A joint statement was released after the meeting.

(Image Source: The Hindu)

Key Highlights

Climate Change: The members agreed to hold a special meet on climate change this year.
Maritime Security:The participants also decided to step up efforts to ensure maritime security in the region.
Terrorism: They called on all countries to ensure that territory under their control is not used to launch terror attacks and to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of such attacks.
They reiterated their condemnation of terrorist attacks in India, including 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks
China’s Actions: The statement also made a veiled reference to China’s actions in the South and East China seas, reaffirming a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, “in which states strive to protect the interests of their people, free from coercion.”
Indo-Pacific: The grouping committed to stronger cooperation on Indo-Pacific initiatives.
Myanmar Issue: India said it is “troubled” by the situation in Myanmar post-coup, but its thinking is guided by concerns over cross border insurgencies, COVID infections, and concerns of a humanitarian situation that could arise from food shortages in Myanmar.
The US, on the other hand, pushed for countries to stop arms trade with the Myanmar military.
The joint statement called for a return to democracy in Myanmar, and also condemned North Korea’s recent ballistic missile tests.
Russia-Ukraine Situation: Foreign Ministers of Australia, Japan and the US took a sharp line on the buildup of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine in recent weeks. The Russia-Ukraine situation did not find any mention in the joint statement though.
Vaccines Initiative: The joint statement issued included a renewed commitment to the “flagship” Quad Vaccine Initiative to deliver at least one billion vaccines produced in India by the end of 2022 to Indo-Pacific countries, and to a pledge to donate 1.3 billion vaccine doses globally.
Review of Cooperation: The joint statement also recorded progress on the other fields for cooperation identified during the Quad summit last year, including climate change, critical and emerging technologies, counter-terrorism, infrastructure, humanitarian-assistance and disaster-relief (HADR) and maritime domain awareness.

India joins G20 Troika

India has joined the G20 Troika, which consists of Indonesia, Italy, and India - the current, previous and incoming G20 Presidencies, respectively.

Italy hosted the G20 summit during October 30-31, 2021.
On 2^nd December 2021, Indonesia assumed the G20 Presidency and will convene various G20 meetings throughout the year, culminating with the G20 Leaders’ summit on 30-31 October 2022 under the overall theme of "Recover Together Recover Stronger”.
India will assume the G20 Presidency on December 1, 2022 from Indonesia, and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the first time in India in 2023.

About G20

The G20 or Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU).
It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development.
The G20 is composed of most of the world's largest economies, including both industrialized and developing nations, and accounts for around 90% of gross world product (GWP), 75–80% of international trade, two-thirds of the global population, and roughly half the world's land area.
Joko Widodo, the president of Indonesia is the current chairman of G20.

G20 and India

As a founding member of the G20, India has used the platform to raise issues of vital importance and those that impact on the most vulnerable around the world.
As a Troika-member, India will work closely with Indonesia and Italy to ensure consistency and continuity of the G20’s agenda.

China’s New Land Border Protection Law

On 23 October 2021, China has passed a law to strengthen border protection.

(Image Source: m.dailyhunt.in)

This is the first time that the People's Republic of China, founded 72 years ago, has a dedicated law specifying how it governs and guards its 22,000-km (14,000-mile) land border.
The Land Borders Law will come into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

Reasons for the Move: Most Recent Concerns

Afghan Refugee Crisis: China has been closely watching neighbouring Afghanistan, where the Taliban returned to power in August, to guard against a possible inflow of refugees or Islamic extremists crossing over to link up with the Muslim Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang region.
Standoff with India: At its Himalayan frontier, Chinese soldiers have been in a standoff with Indian troops since April 2020. China has land border disputes with India and Bhutan.
Covid-19: China has also taken great pains to keep the COVID-19 virus outside of its borders, after illegal crossings from Myanmar and Vietnam contributed this year to a surge in cases in its southern provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi respectively.

Finer Points about the New Law

The country will "take effective measures to resolutely protect territorial sovereignty and land border security".
Chinese military and military police - the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force - are responsible for guarding the border against any "invasion, encroachment, infiltration, provocation".
The new law says that China can close down its border if a war or other armed conflict nearby threatens border security. It also strengthens the Army’s policy to work closely with civilians at border areas to form the first line of defence.
The law stipulates that China will take measures to “strengthen border defence, support economic and social development as well as opening-up in border areas, improve public services and infrastructure in such areas, encourage and support people’s life and work there, and promote coordination between border defence and social, economic development in border areas”.

‘One-China’ Policy: Reason for Border Dispute with almost all its Bordering Countries

The People's Republic of China has been historically involved in territorial disputes with many countries that share borders with it both historically and at present, this also often includes the entire South China Sea region and at times, international waters as well.
This is a direct result of the Xi Jinping government's stipulated 'One-China' policy, which aims to unify a large portion of Asia that at some point belonged to China in the last century.

18 countries that have faced China's aggressive expansionist policies since the last century:

Bhutan	Bhutanese enclaves in Tibet, Kula Kangri, mountains in the west and the Haa district. Other smaller areas include Cherkip Gompa, Dho, Dungmar, Sanmar, Tarchen and more	2008, 2016
Brunei	Spratly Islands	1986-present
Cambodia	Parts of the country on historical merit dating all the way back to 700 years	Qing Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, 13th century – 19th century
India	Aksai Chin, Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh. Wars and stand-off have led to a permanent PLA presence in the region along the LAC	1962, 1967, 2011, 2017, 2020
Indonesia	Parts of South China Sea	Currently still disputed
Japan	Senkaku Islands, Ryukuku Islands, parts of Japan’s territorial waters in South China Sea. Multiple disputes since the Qing dynasty periods	Clashes in 1884, 1895, 1972, 2011, 2013, 2015
Laos	Claims originating from historical precedent, primarily annexed between 12th century to 17th century	Dormant dispute
Malaysia	Parts of South China Sea, particularly Spratly Islands and James Shoal reefs	1971, 2009 and historical claims
Mongolia	China claims all of Mongolia on historical account, although for a major part of its history, it was Mongolian leaders starting from Genghis Khan who controlled China	Yuan, Qing, Ming dynasties. Still owns Inner Mongolia
Nepal	Claims Nepal belonged to Tibet, and Tibet China claims is an integral part of China too	1788-1792 (Sino-Nepalese war) constant tug of war in Nepal’s northern borders
North Korea	Mount Baekdu, Mount Jiandao and in the past has claimed all of North Korea as part of China on territorial grounds	Ryanggang province since formation (1954)
Philippines	Parts of South China Sea. The Philippines took the issue to the ICJ and won the case, China continues to ignore	2016
Russia	Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai; despite 4 different treaties and returning 100s islands and numerous rivers, China continues to claims more than 160,000kms in Russia’s far-east	1860, 1991, 1994 and 2004
Singapore	Parts of South China Sea, contested and claimed by China, despite having no actual boundary with the tiny island nation in the Malaya region	1999-present
South Korea	Parts of East China Sea, claims all of South Korea’s lands and international waters on historical grounds	Ryanggang province since formation (1954)
Tajikistan	All of its territory based on historical precedent	Qing Dynasty, 1644-1912
Taiwan	China claims all of Taiwan’s lands as its own and does not take lightly to dissent in the region	Since 1949
Vietnam	Paracel Islands, Macclesfield Bank and large parts of Chinese territories (historical precedent claim). Fresh conquests and construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea	1364-1644 (constant dispute) 1990’s 2011, 2013

Land Border of China

China shares its borders with 16 neighbors, 14 of which are sovereign states and two are special territories. The total length of its land borders is 13,743 miles.
China has Mongolia to its north, Russia to its northeast, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan to its west, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan to its southwest, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam to its south, North Korea to its northeast.
The two special territories it shares borders with are Hong Kong and Macau, both are Special Administrative Regions of China.

The length of border between China and its respective neighbours are

Mongolia: 2,877 miles
Russia: 2,597 miles
Kazakhstan: 1,097 miles
Kyrgyzstan: 660 miles
Tajikistan: 296 miles
Afghanistan: 56 miles
Pakistan: 272 miles
India: 1,652 miles
Nepal: 863 miles
Bhutan: 296 miles
Myanmar: 1,323 miles
Laos: 295 miles
Vietnam: 806 miles
North Korea: 840 miles

Special Territories

China – Hong Kong: 20 miles
China – Macau: 1.8 miles