This is how Joe Biden greeted PM Modi at the Quad summit

A monitor displaying the virtual meeting of US President Joe Biden (top L), Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison (bottom L), Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (top R) and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seen during the virtual Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) meeting, at Suga's official residence in Tokyo on March 12, 2021. Credit: AFP Photo

It's great to see you, this is how US President Joe Biden greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the first summit of the Quad or Quadrilateral coalition on Friday.

Besides Modi and Biden, the virtual summit of the Quad was attended by Australian PM Scott Morrison and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga.

It was first time Modi and Biden came face-to-face after the American leader took charge in Washington in January.

"A free and open Indo-Pacific is essential to each of our futures," Biden said in his opening remarks.

Read | Quad leaders to hold in-person summit later this year: White House

"The Quad is going to be a vital arena for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. And I look forward to working closely with — with all of you in the coming years," he added.

The four Quad member countries have been resolving to uphold a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific amid growing Chinese assertiveness in the region.

"We are united by our democratic values, and our commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific," Modi said in his initial remarks.

"Our agenda today - covering areas like vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies - makes the Quad a force for global good," he said.