Quad leaders (from left) Japanese Prime Minister Mr Fumio Kishida, Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi, US President Mr Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Mr Scott Morrison

“Historical relationships notwithstanding, we are a partner of choice for India now, as are many of our partners and allies around the world,” he said. He explained that the closer relationship with India is centred around the shared interests in the Indo-Pacific. “In terms of our relationship with India in the Quad context and the bilateral context, we know that India is an essential partner for us in realising our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific,’ Price said. “That is really at the heart of the Quad’s goals,” he said.

The Quad made up of India, the US, Japan and Australia is united in the opposition to Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. During their interactions with India and the Quad, Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have reaffirmed their “commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific in which the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states are respected, and countries are free from military, economic, and political coercion,” he said. Those principles were again affirmed by Biden and Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India, Scott Morrison of Australia and Fumio Kishida of Japan at their summit on March 3, he said.

“They also reaffirmed their dedication to the Quad as a mechanism to promote regional stability and security,” he added. While answering another question about the US relations with countries in the Middle East, Price spoke of the cooperation with India there. He referred to the “trilateral relations” between the US, India and UAE and said, “It’s a relationship, a trilateral relationship that we will continue to invest in and continue to develop.”