Quad Leaders to Hold First In-Person Meeting at White House on 24th

First Face-to-Face Meeting of Four Heads of State on the Occasion of the UN General Assembly

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The Quad summit, a security consultative group consisting of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan, will be held in the United States on the 24th (local time).

On the 13th, the White House announced that President Joe Biden will hold the first-ever in-person Quad summit at the White House.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated in a press release that "President Biden looks forward to welcoming Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the White House."

She added, "The Biden administration has prioritized elevating the Quad," and evaluated that "this meeting demonstrates the United States' priority to engage in the Indo-Pacific, including new multilateral consultative bodies, to address 21st-century challenges."

The Quad leaders have identified key focus areas including responding to COVID-19 and the climate crisis, cooperation on new technologies and cyberspace, and enhancing collaboration in a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

The U.S. political media outlet The Hill predicted that discussions focusing on countering China's influence may arise at this meeting, which is held shortly after President Biden's phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week.

Foreign media noted that this meeting takes place as the Australian, Indian, and Japanese leaders visit the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly starting on the 21st in New York, and evaluated that it comes at a time when President Biden is considering a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in October at the G20 summit in Italy.

The Quad is a consultative body aimed at checking and containing China's expanding influence, aligned with the United States' Indo-Pacific strategy. It was formed during former President Donald Trump's administration and operated as a consultative group attended by foreign ministers, but was elevated to a summit-level meeting under the Biden administration.

The first summit was held virtually in March after President Biden's inauguration in January, and this will be the first in-person meeting where all four leaders meet face-to-face.

President Biden is paying great attention to global infrastructure investment mobilizing allies to counter China's massive economic initiative, the "Belt and Road."

However, considering that Quad member countries are conducting military exercises targeting China, it can also be seen that the agenda focuses on areas of universal interest to the international community rather than directly provoking China.