Anthony Albanese was blindsided by a 4.30am call from US President Joe Biden which could derail his entire Quad leader’s summit, which was to be held at the Sydney Opera House next week.
The high-stakes diplomatic meeting could be on the verge of collapse amid reports both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida are reconsidering their travel plans on the back of President Biden’s decision.
Mr Biden is in the middle of crucial debt ceiling talks with congressional leaders and cannot miss the final stages of negotiations to raise the US’s $31.4 trillion borrowing limit.
Mr Biden called Mr Albanese first at 4.30am on Wednesday to confirm he’d have to pull out of the Quad leaders summit due to be held in Sydney on May 24. He will still attend the G7 in Japan this weekend.
The debt ceiling matter must be resolved by June 1 or the US will default on its debt for the first time in its history – and the week of the Quad summit is the last opportunity to reach a resolution.
The high-stakes diplomatic meeting could be on the verge of collapse amid reports both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida are reconsidering their travel plans on the back of President Biden’s decision
Just hours prior to his conversation, Mr Albanese had said he was confident the President would make it to Australia.
President Biden was due to give an address to a joint sitting of Parliament on May 23 – the first of its kind in nine years – and host a bilateral meeting with Mr Albanese discussing the climate and clean energy transition before the Quad summit itself.
Since the revelation President Biden would not be in attendance, The Australian reported both India and Japan’s prime ministers, Modi and Kishida, are reconsidering their travel plans.
Mr Albanese said discussions would take place with both leaders in the next 24 hours regarding the next steps for the summit. He is hopeful both will still attend, and that the US will send a senior representative, such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the place of President Biden.
Despite his disappointment, Mr Albanese told ABC Sydney Breakfast that ‘President Biden emphasised the importance of the Quad’ and is ‘very disappointed at some of the actions of some members of Congress and the US Senate’ which have made it impossible for him to attend.
Mr Biden is in the middle of crucial debt ceiling talks with congressional leaders and cannot miss the final stages of negotiations to raise the US’s $31.4 trillion borrowing limit
One hint that President Biden’s trip was on the rocks came when National Security Spokesman John Kirby publicly described the agenda for his trip to Japan – which he said would include meetings with each of the Quad nations — all of whom will also be in Japan
‘And obviously the domestic priority for the President, understandably, is to play a role in resolving those issues,’ he said.
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‘One thing I’m absolutely certain of is that the President certainly wishes that this wasn’t happening.’
Mr Albanese is confident Prime Minister Modi will not want to cancel or postpone his trip, both for the Quad itself but also for his own events that he has separately organised with the growing Indian diaspora in Australia.
Modi has scheduled an event at Qudos Bank Arena for next week, and some 21,000 guests have registered to attend.
One hint that President Biden’s trip was on the rocks came when National Security Spokesman John Kirby publicly described the agenda for his trip to Japan – which he said would include meetings with each of the Quad nations — all of whom will also be in Japan.
‘The President and I agreed that we would work to reschedule his visit to Australia at the earliest opportunity,’ Mr Albanese said in a statement.
Anthony Albanese was blindsided by a 4.30am call from US President Joe Biden which could derail his entire Quad leader’s summit, which was to be held at the Sydney Opera House next week
Mr Albanese is confident Prime Minister Modi will not want to cancel or postpone his trip, both for the Quad itself but also for his own events that he has separately organised with the growing Indian diaspora in Australia
But, there had been whispers as early as last week that President Biden could withdraw from the event. President Biden himself said on May 10: ‘If somehow we got down to the wire and we still hadn’t resolved this, and the due date was… when I was supposed to be away, I would not go. I would stay until this gets finished.’
The US leader also extended an invitation to Mr Albanese to visit the United States. Further details of when that visit will take place will be announced at a later date.
A White House spokesperson said: ‘Revitalizing and reinvigorating our alliances and advancing partnerships like the Quad remains a key priority for the President.
‘This is vital to our ability to advance our foreign policy goals and better promote global stability and prosperity.
‘We look forward to finding other ways to engage with Australia, the Quad, Papua New Guinea and the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum in the coming year.’
The decision not to visit Papua New Guinea next week also comes as a significant blow, given Biden would have been the first sitting US President to tour the nation in an official capacity.
