Quad leaders to meet on sidelines of G-7 summit: White House
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US President Joe Biden and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida meeting ahead of the G-7 summit. The White House said the Quad leaders will hold talks on the summit sidelines.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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HIROSHIMA – Leaders of the United States, Japan, Australia and India will hold talks on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G-7) summit on Saturday, the White House said, after discussions in Sydney were cancelled.
The Quad had been due to meet next week in Australia after the G-7 summit in Hiroshima, but the plan was dropped
“Tomorrow, in addition to the G-7, President Biden will participate in the third in-person Quad leaders’ meeting,” the White House said in a statement on Friday.
“Along with sharing strategic assessments, the leaders will welcome new forms of Quad cooperation on secure digital technology, submarine cables, infrastructure capacity building, and maritime domain awareness,” the statement added.
Mr Biden had been due to travel from Hiroshima to Papua New Guinea for a historic trip, before continuing to Australia.
But with warnings that Washington could face a catastrophic default on its debts by June 1, he opted to return home
The Quad alliance positions itself as a bulwark against China’s growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region under President Xi Jinping.
Members deny hostile intentions towards Beijing, however, and stress that they are not a military alliance.
Still, China has described the grouping as an attempt to encircle it.
The last Quad meeting was held in Japan in 2022. AFP
