Australia said Wednesday it will host a Quad group meeting with the leaders of India, Japan and the United States in Sydney on May 24.
The Quad meeting will take place after the three-day Group of Seven industrialized nations summit from May 19 in Hiroshima, western Japan. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to visit Hiroshima for the summit, while the White House has announced that U.S. President Joe Biden will also attend.
Albanese told reporters that the Quad leaders will discuss global economic conditions, growing strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific, the ongoing impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other issues.
Albanese and Biden will discuss with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi how to deepen cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, high-quality infrastructure, global health, climate change, maritime domain awareness and a range of other issues, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
"The Quad is committed to supporting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is respectful of sovereignty and ensures security and growth for all," Albanese said in a statement.
"I look forward to discussing with Quad Leaders how we -- alongside important regional institutions, such as ASEAN, the Pacific Islands Forum, the Indian Ocean Rim Association and our regional partners -- can shape the Indo-Pacific region we all want to live in." ASEAN refers to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The group first held a virtual summit in March 2021. It will be the third in-person meeting of the Quad leaders and the first hosted by Australia.
The Quad countries have ramped up engagement with each other in recent years, moving to the leaders' level under the Biden administration as the United States looks to rally allies and like-minded countries to counter China's growing clout in the region.
