Biden, 'Quad' leaders to talk maritime security as China tensions grow

21/9/2024 6:32

        Tensions brewing in Asia's trade-rich waters top the agenda as U.S. President Joe Biden welcomes leaders from Australia, India and Japan to his Delaware hometown for a diplomatic push to counter China in the waning months of his presidency.
        
        Biden headed to Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday ahead of the Quad Leaders Summit, where the leaders are expected to speak about conflict between Beijing and its neighbors in the South China Sea who have repeatedly clashed over disputed territory, U.S. officials told Reuters.
        
        On the agenda: stepped-up security cooperation in the Indian Ocean and progress to track illegal fishing fleets operating in the waters of the Indo-Pacific, most of which were Chinese.
        
        Their joint statement was expected to include stronger language than during previous meetings about the South China Sea and about North Korea's threats, officials said.
        
        Biden is set to hand over the presidency after a Nov. 5 election that will deliver the White House to his vice president, Kamala Harris, or Republican Donald Trump, who has vowed a confrontational approach with China and voiced skepticism about traditional U.S. alliances.