“All politics is personal,” is something President Biden likes to say. In that spirit, he invited the leaders of the Quad to his home in Wilmington for the summit. According to a senior administration official, Biden made the decision to host the summit in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, “because of the personal emphasis that he puts on the Quad. And I think the meeting very much had that touch to it.”
The official noted that the conversation between Biden and the leaders of the Quad member states was “wide-ranging.” The focus was on security in the Indo-Pacific, as well as economics and technology. They also discussed various new ways to cooperate with partners in Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and South Asia.
Another senior administration official described the Quad as an organization that is in “hyperdrive.”
Officials who spoke with The Pavlovic Today downplayed the role of China in the discussions, but it was the first topic Biden addressed after the press left the room, and the feed kept running.
“I don’t think I have much to elaborate on that. It’s consistent with what has been said before, and I don’t think it’ll be much of a surprise that our inside voice matches our outside voice. I think it’s not surprising that China would have been on the agenda. It’s an Indo-Pacific convening. This is an Indo-Pacific partnership. China is a major country in the Indo-Pacific. But I think it’s also fair to say that there were a number of other topics on the agenda,” said the senior administration official.
Asked whether “Trump-proofing” was part of the summit’s agenda, the second senior official clarified, “I don’t think that’s what this was about.” He further added, “I think when we say enduring, part of what we’re looking at is, you know, the future of the region and where it’s headed, and the fact that, you know, sometimes institutions come and go, but we believe that the Quad is something that will be here for a very long time in the region, regardless of who the president is for decades to come.”
A bipartisan Quad caucus was launched on Capitol Hill yesterday, and the Quad is already a line item in the budget.
Commenting on Prime Minister Modi’s bilateral meeting and whether the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar came up, a senior administration official said, “I think every time we meet with all of our partners, we talk about human rights and respect for human rights and democracy. So I don’t think this meeting is any different than any that we always have.”
As for the future of cooperation at sea, the official remarked, “It means Quad partners on American ships in the year 2025 in the South China Sea. I can’t identify the location at this point.”