Leaders of the Quad nations — India, the United States, Australia and Japan — have decided to form a working group on "Critical and Emerging Technology", which will facilitate coordination on technology standards, and conduct dialogue on critical technology supply chains. The announcement comes after the first virtual Quadrilateral Security Dialogue on Friday, wherein India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian PM Scott Morrison, Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga and US President Joe Biden discussed cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines and climate change, among other things. Per an official release from the White House, the Quad leaders recognised the need to work together to ensure that critical and emerging technologies are operated according to shared interests. "Quad leaders recognize that a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific requires that critical and emerging technology is governed and operates according to shared interests and values." Excerpt from White House briefing: In that spirit, we will convene a Critical and Emerging Technology Working Group, which will: Develop a statement of principles on technology design, development, and use; Facilitate coordination on technology standards development, including between our national technology standards bodies and working with a broad range of partners; Encourage cooperation on telecommunications deployment, diversification of equipment suppliers, and future telecommunications, including through close cooperation with our private sectors and industry; Facilitate cooperation to monitor trends and opportunities related to developments in critical and emerging technology, including biotechnology; Convene dialogues on critical technology supply chains. An anti-China alliance The Quad grouping is often considered to be a force…
