US President Joe Biden will visit Japan and Australia next month to discuss their response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to address China’s assertive economic and military moves in the Indo-Pacific region. He will attend a summit of the leaders of the Group of Seven advanced democracies in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 19-21. Then, he will make his first trip as president to Australia, which will include the third “Quad” leadership meeting of the US, Japan, Australia, and India.
During the G7 summit, Biden and other leaders will discuss various pressing global issues such as their unwavering support for Ukraine, addressing food and climate crises, securing inclusive and resilient economic growth, and leading a clean energy transition. At the Quad meeting on May 24, Biden will meet with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia.
The Quad group was formed in 2007 to strengthen economic and security relations between the four democracies as a check on China’s rise. It was rebooted under the presidency of Donald Trump a decade later and elevated to a regular leader-level gathering during Biden’s tenure. The Quad leaders will discuss how they can deepen their cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, high-quality infrastructure, global health, climate change, maritime domain awareness, and other issues that matter to the people of the Indo-Pacific.
The meeting with Modi comes amid growing concerns in the US over democratic backsliding in India during his time in office and efforts by the US to press India to join international economic sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
