NEW DELHI: The leaders of India and Japan want to further their cooperation on issues such as critical minerals under the framework of the Quad group, New Delhi said on Tuesday before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan.
Ahead of the August 29-30 trip, Vikram Misri, India’s foreign secretary, told a press conference that India attaches a high value to the Quad group, seen as a counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific, despite strained ties with fellow member the United States.
President Donald Trump’s decision to impose additional tariffs of up to 50 percent on imports from India, mainly in response to its purchases of Russian oil and resistance to opening up the agricultural sector, has undermined decades of diplomatic progress between the two countries.
That, in turn, has raised doubts about India’s plans to host a summit of the leaders of Quad countries, which also include Australia, later this year. The last such gathering was held in the US in September 2024.