Washington: Scott Morrison has declared the arrival of a “new dawn” in Australia’s region, as the Prime Minister and his US, Indian and Japanese counterparts pledged to distribute one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to developing countries in the Asia-Pacific.
Morrison was speaking at the first-ever joint leaders meeting of the Quad, a strategic dialogue between the four countries that the Biden administration views as central to its efforts to counter China’s growing dominance in Asia.
Scott Morrison said the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines would be boosted to low and middle-income countries in the Asia-Pacific.Credit:AAP Pool
“It is the Indo-Pacific that will now shape the destiny of our world in the 21st Century,” Morrison said at the beginning of the joint meeting, held online in the early hours of Saturday (AEDT).
“As we begin a new day here in Australia it’s not yet dawn, but we join together as Quad leaders of nations to welcome what I think will be a new dawn in the Indo-Pacific through our gathering.”
The most significant outcome of the summit was an announcement, foreshadowed in The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age last week, to massively expand the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to low and middle-income countries in the Asia-Pacific.
Under the “vaccine diplomacy” push, Australia will contribute an extra $100 million for the roll-out of vaccines in south-east Asia, on top of funding already announced to help vaccinate the citizens of nine Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison participates in the inaugural Quad leaders’ meeting.Credit:AAP Pool
Morrison said the commitment showed Australia was willing to do its “share of the heavy lifting to lighten the burden for us all”.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan described the vaccine pledge as a “massive joint commitment” at a White House briefing following the meeting.
