Biden put a personal touch on the engagement — potentially the last of the group before he leaves office on Jan. 20 — by opening his home in Wilmington, Delaware, to each of the leaders and hosting a joint meeting and formal dinner at the high school he attended more than 60 years ago.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida all descended on the sleepy city of Wilmington for the meetings before their appearances at the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week.
"He wanted to have a private moment with them, to continue to grow those relationships," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. "That's what this is about."
On Friday afternoon, Biden welcomed Albanese to his expansive home set on a pond in a wooded area several miles west of downtown. On Saturday, he was to host Kishida and Modi there as well, before convening all the leaders for consultations at Archmere Academy in nearby Claymont.
News reporters and photographers were prohibited from covering Biden’s individual meetings with the leaders, and Biden would not be holding a press conference, Jean-Pierre said.
As part of the summit, the leaders were set to announce new initiatives to bolster maritime security in the region — with enhanced coast guard collaboration through the Pacific and Indian oceans — and improve cooperation on humanitarian response missions. The measures are meant to serve as a counterweight to an increasingly assertive China.
The Biden administration promised that the leaders would issue a joint statement containing the strongest ever language on China and North Korea to be agreed upon by the four countries.
The White House said the leaders would also roll out an announcement related to Biden's Cancer Moonshot Initiative, a long-running passion project of the president and his wife aimed at reducing cancer deaths. The Bidens' son Beau died in 2015 at the age 46 of brain cancer.
As Biden’s time in office draws down, the White House also was celebrating the bipartisan, bicameral formation of a “Quad Caucus” in Congress meant to ensure the longevity of the partnership regardless of the outcome of the November election.
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Madhani reported from Washington
Credit: AP
Credit: AP