Biden To Host QUAD Summit At His Delaware Residence Next Weekend

Washington: US President Joe Biden will host the fourth in-person Quad leaders summit at his Delaware residence next week, in a rare gesture for his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan, a presidential spokesperson announced Thursday. 

India, which was scheduled to host QUAD this year, would host the summit next year. QUAD leadership summit is an initiative of Biden and is one of the key foreign policy legacies for the outgoing American president. 

“President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will host the fourth in-person Quad Leaders Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday, September 21. The President looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. 

“This will be President Biden’s first time hosting foreign leaders in Wilmington as president — a reflection of his deep personal relationships with each of the Quad Leaders, and the importance of the Quad to all of our countries,” she said. 

QUAD is a diplomatic partnership between four countries--Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. 

The Biden-Harris administration has elevated and institutionalised the Quad as a top priority, from the first-ever Quad Leaders Summit at the White House in 2021 to annual Summits since then. 

In recent years, Quad Foreign Ministers have met eight times, and Quad governments continue to meet and coordinate at all levels, she said. 

“The Quad Leaders Summit will focus on bolstering the strategic convergence among our countries, advancing our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and delivering concrete benefits for partners in the Indo-Pacific in key areas. These include health security, natural disaster response, maritime security, high-quality infrastructure, critical and emerging technology, climate and clean energy, and cybersecurity,” Jean-Pierre said.