Joe Biden opens his home to leaders of Australia, India and Japan for a farewell summit

The President of the United States, Joe Bidenwelcomed the Australian Prime Minister at his home in the northeastern state of Delaware on Friday at the start of a weekend summit with the so-called Quad group – also made up of India and Japan – which he has promoted as a counterweight to China.

Biden chose Wilmington, the city where he grew up, for the last summit of that initiative in his presidency, after he abandoned his candidacy for reelection in the November elections against the Republican Donald Trump and handed over the Democratic torch to his vice president, Kamala Harris.

After a one-on-one meeting at his property on Friday night with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, he will host the Australian Prime Minister at his home on Saturday. Indian Narendra Modi and Japanese Fumio Kishida.

Biden will then host an “intimate” dinner and four-way summit at his former high school.

“It will be the first time President Biden has hosted foreign leaders in Wilmington as president, a reflection of his deep personal relationships with each of the Quad leaders.“, said US press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Vice President Harris will not attendaccording to the White House.

The Quad group dates back to 2007 but has been given a major boost by Biden recently as part of an emphasis on international alliances following the isolationist Trump years.

China is expected to be a prominent topic of discussions between Biden and the prime ministers amid tensions with Beijing.

During their one-on-one meeting on Friday, Biden and Albanese “discussed their respective diplomacy with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and their shared concerns about its coercive and destabilizing activities“, said the White House in a statement.

The US government faced criticism for limiting press access over the weekend, with journalists questioning whether it had done so at the request of the notoriously media-averse Modi.