Hoping to avoid a political scenario in Washington that would shake up the global economy and be a boon for China, Biden began his third day in Japan, at the annual meeting of the world’s most powerful democracies, briefing officials in his administration. of the final stages of negotiations on raising the debt ceiling.
On Saturday, the president also took part in meetings aimed at countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region. We are talking about a meeting within the framework of the so-called Quartet partnership made up of the United States, Australia, Japan and India.
The Quartet was originally scheduled to meet in Sydney next week, but was moved to the sidelines of the G7 to allow Biden to return to Washington earlier to finalize talks on raising the debt ceiling.
The shortened trip has added to the tensions that define Biden’s presidency in many ways: As he tries to show the world that the United States is taking up the torch of global leadership, domestic political dramas continue to get in the way.
During the summit, the president largely kept himself away from the public, refraining from making loud public statements and leaving the leaders’ Friday dinner early. Instead, he spent time staring at a video monitor in a room next to his hotel room, where aides updated him on debt limit discussions.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan acknowledged that world leaders were pressuring Biden over the political stalemate in Washington. But press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that despite heightened interest in how the president would resolve partisan disputes of international importance, there was no panic – at least not yet.
“It’s not a hair-raising situation,” she said.
Also on the sidelines of the summit, Biden spoke with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, such talks were previously scheduled to take place in Australia. US officials said the trip would be postponed, and Biden in turn invited Albanese for a state visit to Washington.
Albanese said he fully understands the circumstances of the postponement of the White House chief’s visit to Australia.
“I would have done the exact same thing,” he told Biden, adding. “I look forward to the state visit.”
The leaders signed a pact pledging to deepen their partnership in the development of raw materials used in clean energy technologies, as the two allies seek to free these supplies from reliance on China. They also released a joint statement outlining new areas of cooperation in space, trade and defence.
The US president also sent Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to replace him at the Pacific Islands Summit in Papua New Guinea on Monday. Biden’s visit to Papua New Guinea could be the first visit by a US president to the country. Pacific island nations are being actively courted by the United States and China as the two superpowers vie for influence in parts of the world where shipping lanes are vital.
In Hiroshima, Biden and other world leaders are expected to agree on ways to increase their countries’ economic resilience, acknowledging that the high level of trade with China for developed countries has become more of a risk than an opportunity. .
Sullivan said the G7 leaders recognize their commitment to working with China “on issues of mutual interest.” He also noted that “we will work to resolve our significant concerns we have with China in a number of areas.” He echoed a phrase often used by G7 leaders that the G7 seeks to “reduce risk, not exclude China.”
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