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President Joe Biden is convening the leaders of Australia, India and Japan in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, this weekend for a Quad summit aimed at putting a final stamp on an alliance he hopes will endure beyond his presidency.
The current quadrilateral partnership is entering a new era as half of its leadership — Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida — soon step down. With an eye on burnishing his foreign policy achievements and preparing to hand over power to a new administration, Biden is turning to allies like the Quad for a final diplomatic push to counter China’s growing influence.
China and its actions in the South China Sea were the first topic on the leaders’ agenda during the closed-door portion of Saturday’s summit, with Biden opening the discussion with a talking point, saying Chinese President Xi Jinping is “in my view aggressively trying to buy diplomatic space to pursue China’s interests.”
“We believe Xi Jinping is focused on domestic economic challenges and seeks to minimize disruption to our foreign relations with China,” Biden is heard saying.
“China continues to take aggressive actions and test them across the region — in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, South China, South Asia and the Taiwan Strait,” the president continued.
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if China was on the agenda,” an administration official told CNN.
“I don’t think it’s that surprising that our internal voices are aligned with external opinions,” the official said.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan insisted at a press conference early Saturday that “China is not a focus of the Quad,” but the issue was a hot topic throughout the day.
In a joint statement after the summit, Quad leaders said they were “gravely concerned” about China’s escalating actions in the South China Sea, but did not name any countries.
“We continue to express serious concerns about the militarization of disputed areas and coercive and threatening actions in the South China Sea,” the White House said in a statement. “We condemn the dangerous use of Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels, including increased dangerous actions.”
In their lengthy statement, the leaders also stressed that they “condemn North Korea’s destabilizing ballistic missile launches and its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs).”
The summit, the group’s fourth in-person meeting, concluded with a series of accomplishments, including the Quad countries’ first joint coast guard exercise, expanded efforts to monitor illegal fishing, and a $150 million pledge and collaboration to help reduce cervical cancer rates in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Welcome to the borders of Wilmington, Delaware. I’m so glad you’re here in my hometown and seeing where I grew up,” Biden said in opening remarks at the summit.
In his comments, Biden stressed the importance of “democracy” and said the Quad “is here to stay.”
“We are a democracy. We are a democracy that knows how to get things done,” Biden said. “There will be challenges, but the world will be changed, because I believe the Quad is here to stay. It’s here to stay.”
While officials have expressed confidence in the Quad’s staying power, questions of whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump will lead the next administration and what approach they will take toward allies and China loomed large at a weekend meeting as the four leaders mapped out their agenda for the future.
“Of course, we are four major democracies and political change is naturally expected,” said a senior administration official previewing the summit. “We believe the Quad has buy-in across our system and at all levels of government.”
The Quad (U.S.-Japan-Australia-India summit), which President Biden elevated to summit level at the start of his term, has become a key pillar of his strategy in the Indo-Pacific region.
The coast guard drills announced among the four nations will begin with a U.S. Coast Guard vessel leading the way, with coast guard personnel from Australia, Japan and India joining the vessel for periods of time, according to a senior administration official. Each nation will take turns conducting similar drills.
A senior administration official said China should not see the move as a “red flag” and insisted the coast guard’s mission is “focused on strengthening peace and stability in the region and the continuity of international law.”
The two leaders also announced the expansion of the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, which helps countries monitor illegal fishing and other illicit activities in their waters and provides partners with more advanced technology and training, to the Indian Ocean.
The two countries also launched a logistics network that will allow U.S. forces to share cargo space on aircraft and ships used in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. The partnership will also roll out a new open radio access network pilot project in the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia.
At the summit, Biden pushed for the establishment of a bipartisan Quad Caucus in both the House and Senate to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to the partnership, which the Trump administration has also emphasized at the foreign minister level.
But the president’s most personal announcement focused on new joint efforts to fight cancer: Quad leaders launched a new partnership aimed at reducing cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific region, a global expansion of the president’s signature “Cancer Moonshot” initiative.
This includes efforts to increase cervical cancer screening in the community and to increase vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer.
“I’m proud to announce that our four nations, the leaders behind me and many of the organizations here today are committing more than $150 million to HPV testing and treatment,” Biden said.
The Cancer Moonshot is one of the White House’s most personal efforts. The cancer-fighting program, launched when Biden was vice president after his son Beau died of brain cancer, is getting a funding boost in 2022 and aims to bolster cutting-edge cancer research.
The move came as the president sought to add a personal touch to his final meetings with Foreign Minister Kishida, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Biden hosted the leaders in Wilmington, a city of about 71,000 people about 100 miles north of Washington, D.C. India was originally scheduled to host this year’s Quad summit but agreed to swap roles as Biden’s term dwindles. The leaders will meet ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week.
Biden met privately with the leaders over two days at his private residence, where he often spends his weekends. He met with Prime Minister Albanese on Friday, followed by similar talks with Prime Minister Kishida and Prime Minister Modi on Saturday.
These one-on-one discussions were held behind closed doors to reporters, a departure from most bilateral presidential meetings, which typically allow reporters the opportunity to witness at least some of the action.
The Quad’s main meeting took place at Archmere Academy, the private Catholic school Biden attended, in Claymont, Delaware. The gathering included leadership-level meetings, a Cancer Moonshot event and a private dinner.
The president stopped by Archmere High School on Friday evening to greet members of the school’s football team, of which Biden played as a member. When asked by a student what it’s like to be president, Biden replied, “A little bit like being class president. No, I’m kidding.”
Several US presidents have used their homes to foster personal relationships with world leaders: In 1983, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at their ranch in California’s Santa Ynez Mountains.
Rain on the day of the visit cancelled plans for horseback riding, a hobby the couple share, but the royal family and the Reagans still spent time together over a Mexican lunch of enchiladas and tacos.
President George W. Bush hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin twice: once at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, in 2001 and again in 2007 at the Bush family’s Walker’s Point estate in Kennebunkport, Maine. During those meetings, the two leaders, along with former President George H.W. Bush, went on a fishing trip between talks about a missile defense system.
During his presidency, Trump has hosted several world leaders at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. A visit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, followed by a day of golf, turned into a real-time diplomatic strategy session after news of an unexpected missile launch by North Korea came in the middle of dinner at the private club.
By the light of the aide’s cell phone, the two pored over the documents together on a dimly lit patio in front of club members and guests.
As Biden turns his attention to his own local diplomacy this weekend, his national security and communications adviser, John Kirby, said he will focus on “showcasing the places and communities that have shaped so much of Biden as a public servant and a leader.”
“It also reflects his belief that foreign policy, like politics, is personal,” he added.
This story has been updated with additional reports.