Joe Biden shortens Asia trip – QUAD summit in Australia canceled

As a result of US President Joe Biden canceled his trip, a summit of the leaders of the United States, India, Australia, and Japan that was to be held in Sydney the following week has been postponed, according to Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. He added that discussions may still take place while leaders are in Japan.

On May 24, Biden was scheduled to attend a meeting of the informal security dialogue with Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio. This meeting was seen as a response to China’s aggressive stance in the region.

The US is trying to reenergize its security ties in the Pacific amid escalating competition with Beijing as a result of the late-night cancellation, which also saw Biden cancel a trip to Papua New Guinea.

But what would have been a significant visit to Asia by a US president has been curtailed by Washington’s fractious domestic politics.

As part of a weeklong Asia tour, which was supposed to start in Hiroshima, Japan, for a summit of the Group of Seven (G7) leaders, and include a stopover in Papua New Guinea for a meeting with Pacific Island leaders, Biden had been planning to travel to Sydney for the summit.

According to the White House on Tuesday, Biden will still depart for Japan on Wednesday, despite the ongoing debt ceiling talks in Washington.

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Albanese stated on Wednesday that the Quad leaders would instead meet in Japan, where all four would be over the weekend. He added that no time had been set.

“The Quad is an important body, and we want to make sure that it occurs at the leadership level. We’ll be having that discussion over the weekend,” the Australian leader said.

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, formally known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, was established more than 15 years ago but has gained more notoriety recently. This will be the third in-person meeting of the Quad leaders.

According to a statement issued by the White House last month, the leaders were anticipated to discuss enhancing their cooperation on a variety of issues, including climate change, maritime domain awareness, and critical and emerging technologies.

There is still a possibility that the other quad leaders will travel to Sydney the following week, according to Albanese, and talks are in progress.

According to the Australian leader, Biden was also irritated by the circumstances on Capitol Hill that forced him to take action.

Early on Wednesday, Albanese and Biden spoke on the phone, during which Biden voiced his disappointment “at some of the actions of some members of Congress and the US Senate,” according to Albanese.

The US plays a crucial role as the world’s largest economy, so this behavior is also motivated by the fact that it is clearly against the interests of the American people. This debt ceiling standoff they’re having has effects on the world economy as well, according to Albanese.

Biden has been visiting lawmakers in Washington as the White House works feverishly to prevent a possible default on its debt. Despite ongoing negotiations, Congress has been unable to reach a consensus on raising the nation’s debt ceiling.

A default could lead to a global economic slowdown, “risk undermining US global economic leadership,” and cast doubt on America’s capacity to protect its national security interests, according to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday.

In the Indo-Pacific

Observers had viewed the Quad meeting in Sydney and Biden’s planned Monday stopover in the capital of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, as chances to strengthen US alliances in the Indo-Pacific.

The South China Sea has become more crucial for Washington as a result of China’s increasing territorial claims in nearby seas, expansion of its navy, and militarization of islands in the region.

Additionally, Beijing has increased its military intimidation of Taiwan, a democratically run island that China’s ruling Communist Party claims as its own. In retaliation for a meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last month, Beijing began military exercises around the island.

James Marape, the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, and other members of the Pacific Island Forum had been scheduled to meet with Biden.

Washington has recently re-engaged in the South Pacific, a strategic region widely viewed as having been neglected by Washington since the Cold War ended. The Marape government highly anticipated the visit as a potential economic boon.

Over the past few years, China has expanded diplomatic efforts in the region and forged strong ties with some Pacific island nations, culminating last year in the signing of a bilateral security agreement with the Solomon Islands.

The talks between the two nations on a defense cooperation agreement would have been taking place simultaneously as Biden’s trip to Port Moresby, which would have been the first by a US President in office.

The impact of the Quad meeting’s cancellation in Sydney may be “negligible,” according to Derek Grossman, a senior defense analyst at the US think tank RAND Corporation, as the coalition already had “good momentum” from prior meetings.

However, he noted that the cancellation of Monday’s trip to Papua New Guinea might have more significant repercussions for US policy towards the Pacific Islands.

In the region, the US “has done a good job of elevating its game, but this missed (Papua New Guinea) visit will serve as evidence to the contrary – essentially that Washington is an unreliable partner over the long-term,” he said.

“This directly feeds into Beijing’s narrative and could strengthen its hand,” he said.