Biden to meet Quad leaders at G-7 after scrapping Australia trip

President Biden will meet with the other leaders of the Quad alliance — Japan, India and Australia — on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Hiroshima after a planned meeting of the four countries was scrambled by Biden’s travel plans.

The Quad leaders were set to hold a summit of their own early next week in Australia, but that meeting was put on hold after Biden canceled his trip to the continent so he could return to Washington for negotiations over the debt ceiling.

With all four leaders in Japan for the G-7, the Quad meeting will be held there Saturday.

“Along with sharing strategic assessments, the leaders will welcome new forms of Quad cooperation on secure digital technology, submarine cables, infrastructure capacity building, and maritime domain awareness,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement, adding that he “looks forward to rescheduling his trip” to Australia.

Biden has sought to reinvigorate the Quad alliance during his presidency in an effort to create a counterbalance to China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific. Saturday will mark the third time the leaders have met in person during Biden’s presidency.

Biden is separately scheduled to host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House this summer for an official state visit.