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China is expected to be a prominent topic of discussion at the upcoming Quad Summit, which will be led by US President Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware on September 21. According to John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, it would be irresponsible for the Quad leaders to not address the regional challenges posed by China during their talks.
When asked to what extent China will be a focus of the Quad Summit, Kirby stated, “I think it’ll certainly be high on the agenda. I mean, there’s not an opportunity when you get together with these particular leaders, the Indo-Pacific, Quad, where you in fact it would be irresponsible if they didn’t talk about the challenges that still exist in the region caused by aggressive PRC military action for instance, unfair trade practices, tensions over the Taiwan Strait. I have no doubt that that all those issues will come up.”
On September 21, Biden will be hosting the fourth in-person Quad Leaders summit in Delaware. He eagerly awaits the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. This also marks the first time that foreign leaders will be visiting Biden’s hometown.
When asked whether Quad nations view China as a threat to the Indo-Pacific region, John Kirby said, “I think you’d have to talk to the leaders about their particular view of the PRC. But, I think we all have a common understanding about the challenges that the PRC is posing, but each of them is a sovereign country; they get to decide for themselves what their relationship is going to be with the PRC and how that looks; each of them has a different relationship with the PRC, including us.”John Kirby said that Biden will meet Quad leaders individually and the four together in a larger plenary session where they will discuss expanding cooperation on various critically important issues.
Speaking about the upcoming Quad Summit, he said, “The President will meet individually with each of them, and then we’ll also gather together in a larger plenary session where they will discuss expanding cooperation across a range of critically important issues. We believe that you’ll see coming out of this summit that the Quad is more strategically aligned and more relevant than ever before.”
“I think you can expect a robust agenda aimed at delivering concrete benefits to the people of the region as they all identify priorities such as health, security, natural disaster response, maritime security, quality infrastructure, critical and emerging technologies, climate and clean energy, and cybersecurity. You’ll also see some announcements that demonstrate our intention to make sure that this special partnership the Quad endures and in fact thrives over the long term. We’ll have more details, of course to share on the specific deliverables as we get a little closer to the weekend,” he added.
The Quad, a diplomatic partnership among Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, has seen eight meetings between Foreign Ministers in recent years. These governments continue to collaborate and communicate at all levels. During his visit to the United States from September 21-23, PM Modi will participate in the Quad Summit and speak at the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Following a request from the US, India has agreed to host the next Quad Summit in 2025. At this year’s summit, leaders will reflect on the Quad’s progress and establish goals to support Indo-Pacific countries’ development objectives. According to a Ministry of External Affairs announcement, PM Modi will also deliver a speech on September 23 titled ‘Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’ at the United Nations General Assembly.
