Biden’s Quad Summit in Australia: A Signal to China?
United States President Joe Biden is set to visit Australia next week for a summit with his fellow Quad leaders: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. On 24 May, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will host the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit in Sydney. The summit is expected to focus on strengthening cooperation and coordination among the four democracies in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in the face of China's growing assertiveness and influence.
The Quad, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is an informal strategic forum that was revived in 2017 after a decade-long hiatus. The four countries share common interests and values in maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, where disputes are resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law. The Quad also aims to promote cooperation on various issues such as maritime security, counter-terrorism, cyber security, climate change, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and vaccine diplomacy.
The upcoming summit will be the second in-person meeting of the Quad leaders, following the first one in Washington D.C. in September this year. It will also be Biden's first visit to Australia as president, and a rare occasion for a U.S. president to attend a multilateral summit outside of the usual venues such as the United Nations or NATO. The summit will demonstrate Biden's commitment to reinvigorate U.S. alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, as well as his recognition of the importance of the Quad as a key platform for regional cooperation.
The summit will also send a clear message to China that the Quad is not a mere talk shop, but a serious and credible grouping that can act collectively to uphold the rules-based order and deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific. China has long viewed the Quad as a hostile attempt to contain its rise and undermine its legitimate interests. China has also been increasingly assertive and aggressive in pursuing its territorial claims and expanding its influence in the region, such as by building artificial islands and militarizing features in the South China Sea, imposing economic sanctions and political pressure on Australia, engaging in border clashes with India, and threatening Taiwan with military coercion.
The Quad leaders are expected to discuss ways to enhance their coordination and cooperation in responding to China's challenges, as well as to explore new areas of collaboration such as infrastructure development, supply chain resilience, critical technologies, and trade and investment. The summit will also likely reaffirm the Quad's support for ASEAN's centrality and unity in the regional architecture, and its willingness to engage with other like-minded countries and stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific.
The Quad summit in Australia will be a historic and significant event that will showcase the strength and solidarity of the four democracies in the Indo-Pacific. It will also signal to China that the Quad is ready to act as a force for stability and prosperity in the region.