U.S. to Host First Face-to-Face Quad Meeting, Australia Says
U.S. to Host First Face-to-Face Quad Meeting, Australia Says
(Bloomberg) -- U.S. President Joe Biden will this year host the first face-to-face meeting of leaders of the Quad partnership, which is seeking to act as a counter against what those nations see as China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
“The Quad as you know is a very important gathering of the U.S., India, ourselves and Japan, and we looking forward to the first face-to-face meeting,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Canberra on Friday. The exact dates are yet to be finalized, he said.
Discussions would focus on defense and security issues as well as Covid vaccine support, economic development initiatives, supply chains and critical technologies, Morrison said, confirming he had spoken with Biden in the previous 24 hours to discuss the meeting. Afghanistan would also be on the agenda.
“We have quite a large agenda with the U.S., so there will certainly be a lot for President Biden and I to talk about when we have the face-to-face meeting in the White House this year.”
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