Kyodo, Tokyo
The leaders of Japan, the United States, Australia and India began a virtual meeting Friday to discuss the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines to developing countries as they step up cooperation to counter China's growing influence.
In the first-ever summit among members of the so-called Quad, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his counterparts are expected to agree on financial support to boost vaccine production in India to help those countries have increased access to them, according to people familiar with the matter.
The move is seen as a counter to the "vaccine diplomacy" of China, which has been offering free shots to countries in Southeast Asia and Africa.
Suga and the other leaders -- U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- plan to discuss efforts to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region as well as tackling climate change, according to a senior Japanese official.
Regional issues such as North Korea and the military coup in Myanmar could also come up, the official said.
A senior U.S. official said the Quad has put together financing vehicles to allow a "dramatic increase" in production capacity for COVID-19 vaccines in India to address a supply shortage across Southeast Asia.
The leaders will pledge to fully implement the Paris Agreement on curbing carbon emissions and agree to set up working groups focusing on climate change as well as standards and norms for emerging technologies such as 5G networks, the official said.
The meeting was arranged at Washington's request, an apparent sign the Biden administration is addressing what it has called "the biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century" in dealing with China.
The Quad, formally known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, was originally formed in 2004 in response to the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
The framework has seen a resurgence in recent years with an increased focus on advancing concepts such as freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region and the rule of law.
In a phone conference last month, the foreign ministers of the Quad members agreed to "strongly" oppose unilateral and forceful attempts by Beijing to alter the status quo in the East and South China seas, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Suga is expected to raise concerns during Friday's meeting over China's adoption of a law allowing its coast guard to use weapons against intruders in waters it claims.
China, which is embroiled in a number of territorial disputes in surrounding waters, including over the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands, has accused the Quad of being the beginnings of an Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization seeking to undermine its rise.
