Quad to expand maritime security cooperation at Biden's farewell summit

21/9/2024 17:15

        Leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States will announce plans for new security initiatives in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, when outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden hosts counterparts from the Quad grouping established due to shared concerns about China.
        
        Biden will welcome Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a four-way meeting near his hometown of Wilmington to stress the importance of maintaining the Quad, which he sees as a signature foreign policy achievement, before he leaves office after the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.
        
        Senior Biden administration officials told reporters the leaders would announce plans to expand an Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness launched two years ago to include the Indian Ocean region.
        
        The leaders will announce a plan for joint coast guard operations that will see Australian, Japanese and Indian personnel spend time on a U.S. coast guard vessel. The countries will also announce plans for increased military logistics cooperation.