Australia Cancels Quad Meeting After Biden Postpones Trip Over US Debt Crisis

Australia has cancelled the Quad summit that was to be held next week after US President Joe Biden postponed his trip.

Australia has cancelled the Quad summit that was to be held next week after US President Joe Biden postponed his trip.

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said the Quad summit would not be held in Sydney next week as US President Joe Biden postponed his trip to Australia due to debt ceiling negotiations in Washington. Biden had to cut short his trip “in order to be back for meetings with congressional leaders to ensure that Congress takes action by the deadline to avert default,” the White House said. Albanese said the leaders of Australia, the United States, India and Japan would instead meet at the G7 in Japan this weekend, after Biden canceled a trip to Sydney on the second leg of his upcoming Asia trip, which was also to have included a visit to Papua New Guinea, Reuters reported.

"The Quad leaders meeting will not be going ahead in Sydney next week. We, though will be having that discussion between Quad leaders in Japan," Albanese told media.

The White House said, "President Biden will return to the United States on Sunday, following the completion of the G7 summit, in order to be back for meetings with Congressional leaders to ensure that Congress takes action by the deadline to avert default. The President spoke to Prime Minister Albanese earlier today to inform him that he will be postponing his trip to Australia.  He also invited the Prime Minister for an official state visit at a time to be agreed by the teams.  The President’s team engaged with the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea’s team to inform them as well."

Joe Biden would meet Prime Ministers Narendra Modi, Anthony Albanese of Australia on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan, the White House said on Tuesday on the eve of the president leaving on his now-curtailed foreign trip.

A bilateral programme in Sydney with Prime Minister Narendra Modi could still go ahead next week, Albanese said. Albanese did not comment on whether Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida would still visit Sydney next week.