The Quad leaders, Biden and Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India, Fumio Kishida of Japan and Anthony Albanese of Australia, began their meeting with warm words for their counterparts and without explicitly mentioning their regional rival. Once journalists were escorted out of the room, they turned to their first topic: China.
“We think Xi Jinping is looking to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimize turbulence in China,” Biden told the leaders of his Chinese counterpart in his opening remarks Saturday, a portion of which were released over the official audio stream in an apparent mistake. Biden added that Xi “is looking to buy himself some diplomatic space, in my view, to aggressively defend China’s interests.”
“China continues to behave aggressively, testing all of us in the region” on several fronts, “including on economic and technological issues,” Biden added. “At the same time, we believe that intense competition requires intense diplomacy.”
The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the audio.
The summit comes in the final months of the Biden presidency (and Kishida’s tenure as prime minister) and as the US rolls out a series of measures aimed at countering Chinese influence, including ending new tariffs on certain industries such as electric vehicles while cracking down on e-commerce shipments and steel and aluminum coming into the US through Mexico.
The Quad meeting, while not focused solely on China, fits into that broader thrust. Biden cited national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s recent visit to China in his remarks before the feed was cut off.
“We have made some progress in bilateral relations between the United States and China that is important,” Biden said.
Leaders and officials have publicly played down the idea that the focus of the summit will be on Beijing.
“China is not the focus of the Quad and the Quad is not about one country, it’s about a broader vision that we’re trying to work toward,” Sullivan told reporters early Saturday.
In their public opening remarks, the leaders avoided mentioning China specifically but alluded to regional tensions.
“We are not against anyone,” Modi said. “We all support a rules-based international order, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful resolution of all disputes.”
Albanese said the promise of the Indo-Pacific region “depends on continued peace and stability and smart management of competition and strategic disputes.”
Health and climate initiatives
In a joint statement, the leaders announced several joint initiatives, including the Quad Cancer Moonshot initiative, an effort to collaborate and save lives from cancer in the region. It will initially focus on cervical cancer.
On maritime security, the leaders announced a training initiative to provide tools to help nations “monitor and protect their waters, enforce their laws and deter unlawful conduct.” The U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard, Australian Border Force and Indian Coast Guard will begin an observer program next year to “enhance interoperability and promote maritime security,” the statement said.
Another initiative, the Quad Ports of the Future Alliance, aims to support the “development of sustainable and resilient port infrastructure” in the region. The leaders discussed a wide range of issues, including the threat from North Korea, said U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private sessions.
The group pledged deeper cooperation on climate and clean energy issues, including money to support solar projects and diversify supply chains. Leaders are also providing funding for joint research to harness artificial intelligence and robotics to boost agriculture.
A change of command is looming in the Quad, with Kishida stepping down, Biden following in January and Albanese facing elections next year. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has long been wary of U.S. alliances he views as unbalanced, but leaders dismissed questions about whether the Quad could survive.
“It will survive well beyond November, well beyond November,” Biden told reporters. Albanese said he was “absolutely confident” the Quad would endure. “All four nations are committed to the Quad,” he told reporters.
Biden’s homepage
The summit included personal touches from Biden. He personally hosted each of the three prime ministers at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, where he had never hosted other leaders as president, before taking them to the meeting held at his former school.
The meeting began on a friendly note.
Modi called Biden “Amtrak Joe,” a nickname he earned as a prolific train traveler while in the U.S. Senate, while Biden called Kishida “my good friend.”
Albanese and Biden joked that their principals would be surprised to see them at a summit held at a school.
At one point, Biden was heard telling the Australian prime minister: “If we get bored, we can go down to the bowling alley.”
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