Biden to host 'Quad' leaders in hometown farewell

WASHINGTON, United States — US President Joe Biden will host the leaders of allies Australia, India and Japan in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware on September 21 for talks focused on tensions with China, the White House said Thursday.

The summit comes as Biden eyes his foreign policy legacy in his final months as a one-term president, after dropping out of the 2024 US election and effectively handing the Democratic Party nomination to his vice president, Kamala Harris.

"This will be President Biden’s first time hosting foreign leaders in Wilmington as president -- a reflection of his deep personal relationships with each of the Quad Leaders, and the importance of the Quad to all of our countries," his spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

Biden "looks forward" to welcoming Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, she added.

The four-way Quad grouping dates back to 2007, but Biden has strongly pushed the alliance as part of an emphasis on international alliances to rein in adversaries -- especially China.

He hosted the first-ever Quad leaders' summit at the White House in 2021 and there have been annual summits since.

The White House statement did not explicitly mention China but said the leaders would focus on "advancing our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region."

The group has frequently used similar veiled language when discussing tensions with China, particularly a series of recent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea.

The next Quad Summit will be hosted by India, the White House said.

The choice of Wilmington is a deeply personal one for Biden, who has called the town home for decades and frequently spends weekends at his house in the outskirts.

The White House did not say what venue would be used for the summit.

Biden has made foreign policy a priority since stepping aside from the election in July, following a disastrous debate performance against Republican Donald Trump.

Harris has signaled she would continue Biden's foreign policy direction, which places emphasis on strengthening US alliances,