Modi holds key bilateral meetings with Abe, Turnbull and Vietnamese PM

TIL Desk/World/Manila/ In the backdrop of emerging configuration of a key quadrilateral alliance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held separate talks with his counterparts from Japan Shinzo Abe and Australia Malcolm Turnbull focusing on crafting a new strategy for the Indo-Pacific region.

On the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, Modi also held bilateral meetings with Vietnamese premier Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and discussed ways to further ramp up cooperation various key areas like trade and investment and maritime security.

On Sunday, India, Australia, Japan and the US held their first meeting to give shape to the much talked about quadrilateral alliance to keep the Indo-Pacific region “free and open”. The issue was discussed during the Modi-Trump meeting yesterday and is understood to have figured in the prime minister’s talks today with both Abe and Turnbull.

“My friend @AbeShinzo and I had an excellent meeting in Manila. We reviewed the ground covered on various aspects of India-Japan ties and discussed ways to deepen cooperation between our economies and people,” Modi tweeted.