President Biden hosted the leaders of Australia, India and Japan at his home in Wilmington, Del., this weekend, seeking to use his fourth and final “Quad summit” to cement the alliance between the United States and Indo-Pacific nations and to counter China’s rising influence in the region.
Mr. Biden used the summit to expand both his “cancer moonshot” initiative and the Quad Fellowship, a scholarship program designed to build ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists. The four leaders also signed a maritime agreement and announced a joint Coast Guard mission.
The Quad alliance has existed for more than a decade, but Mr. Biden was the first president to convene a meeting among the leaders of the nations as a foursome. As the four posed for a photo on Saturday, Mr. Biden was asked whether the alliance would last beyond November. “Way beyond November,” he said.
“Our countries are more strategically aligned than ever before,” Mr. Biden said later, adding, “While challenges will come, the world will change, because the Quad is here to stay.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India echoed the president, saying, “The Quad is here to stay.”
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENTMr. Biden has often said that “all politics is personal,” and the decision to open his home in Wilmington — the first time he has invited foreign leaders there — reflected his conviction that deep relationships are the best way to forge constructive alliances. With just a few months left in the president’s term, this year’s summit had a personal touch.
On Friday night, when the president had a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, he gave Mr. Albanese a tour of his home and told those in attendance to get comfortable and take off their jackets. The first lady, Jill Biden, was not present; she stayed in Washington to host the first Back-to-School Night at the White House on Saturday.
Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.manilaplay