WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden is set to host the first in-person gathering of leaders of an Indo-Pacific alliance known as “the Quad” on Friday (today), wrapping up a tough week in he faced criticism from both allies and adversaries.
Biden will meet with leaders from India, Japan and Australia at the White House to draw greater attention towards China’s coercive economic practices and unsettling military maneuvering in the region. The four leaders are also expected to talk on climate, COVID-19 response, and cyber security.
Before the summit, the Japanese and Indian governments welcomed a recent announcement that the US, as part of a separate new alliance with Britain and Australia, would equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.
The move will allow Australia to conduct longer patrols and give it an edge on the Chinese navy. The announcement infuriated France, which accused the Biden administration of squelching its own $66 billion deal to provide diesel-powered submarines. Tensions between Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron eased after the two leaders spoke on Wednesday and agreed to take steps to coordinate more closely in the Indo-Pacific.
Biden’s meeting with the Indo-Pacific leaders caps a busy week of diplomacy for the president in which he addressed the UN General Assembly in New York and served as host for a virtual global summit on fighting COVID-19.
Biden is also scheduled to meet separately on Friday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
Modi, who met with Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, is expected to raise with Biden the way forward with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, according to a person familiar with the Indian official’s agenda.
In a brief appearance before reporters at the start of his meeting with Harris, Modi credited the Biden administration with making headway on both COVID-19 and climate change.
“You took up the leadership of the United States in a very challenging atmosphere and challenging times, but within a very short period of time, you have had many achievements to your credit, whether that be COVID, climate, or the Quad,” he said. “On all these issues, the United States has taken very important initiatives.”
Suga, in his one-on-one with Biden, is expected to raise China, North Korea, Afghanistan, COVID-19 response and climate change. North Korea last week said it successfully launched ballistic missiles from a train for the first time.
The test came after the North this month said it tested new cruise missiles, which it intends to make nuclear-capable, that can strike targets 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away, a distance putting all of Japan and US military installations there within reach.
