Australia cancels quad meeting in Sydney after Biden postponement

New Delhi : On Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that a Quad summit in Sydney will not be held without the presence of U.S. President Joe Biden. President Biden had postponed his trip to Australia amid ongoing debt ceiling negotiations in Washington.

Instead of a meeting in Sydney, Mr. Albanese mentioned that the leaders of Australia, the United States, India, and Japan would gather at the G7 summit in Japan this weekend. This arrangement came about as a result of Mr. Biden's cancellation of his trip to Sydney, which was part of his planned Asia trip that also involved a visit to Papua New Guinea.

According to Mr. Albanese, there is still a possibility for a bilateral program to take place in Sydney with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week. However, Mr. Albanese did not provide any comment regarding whether Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida would still be visiting Sydney during that time.

The Quad is an informal group that advocates for an open Indo-Pacific region. Its purpose is often seen by Beijing as an effort to counter its increasing influence in the area.