China high on agenda for Quad meeting as Biden offers personal touch

China is expected to be high on the agenda when Joe Biden and Anthony Albanese meet with their other Quad partners in Delaware this weekend.

For this fifth leaders’ summit, the US President is going all out to underscore his personal bond with the Prime Minister as they meet for what is likely to be the final time in an intimate setting.

Mr Biden is planning to meet one-on-one with Mr Albanese and the other Quad members, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan’s Fumio Kishida, as well as in a larger plenary session, a White House spokesman said.

The Quad was established as a strategic coordination grouping between the four major countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Its standing has been elevated in recent years as China has become increasingly muscular in seeking to influence the region.

“This will be an important gathering. The priority is about peace and security in the Indo-Pacific as well as stability and prosperity,” Mr Albanese said on Thursday before leaving Australia.

“And it will be a real opportunity for us to re-engage. There’ll be other engagements, of course, including at the G20 and APEC that will be held in November. But I’m very much looking forward to meeting with President Biden over the next coming days.”

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said China would be “high on the agenda” for the weekend’s discussions.

“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 all those issues will come up,” he said.

“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.”

This is the first time Mr Biden has hosted foreign leaders in his hometown of Wilmington. The White House flagged that reflects his deep personal relationship with Mr Albanese and the other leaders.

“He’s very excited about that about showing them a place in a community that shaped so much of the public servant and the leader that he became,” Mr Kirby said. “It’s also a reflection of his belief that like politics, foreign policy is also personal.”

Mr Albanese said Mr Biden was continuing to do his job as the US leader and his warmth was a sign of the personal friendship that had developed between them.

The agenda will also include looking at expanding cooperation across critically important issues including health, security, natural disasters, maritime security, critical and emerging technologies, climate and clean energy, and cybersecurity.

Leaders are also expected to make announcements aiming to ensure the Quad endures and thrives over the long term.

For two of the four leaders, Mr Biden and Mr Kishida, this will be their final Quad summit as both are retiring.

Mr Modi won a third term in India’s national elections earlier this year, and Mr Albanese will face voters before the end of May.