FILE - President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the...
Read More
TOKYO (AP) — President Joe Biden told fellow Indo-Pacific leaders assembled for a four-country summit Tuesday that they were navigating “a dark hour in our shared history” due to Russia’s brutal war on Ukraine and he urged the group to make a greater effort to stop Vladimir Putin’s aggression.
“This is more than just a European issue. It’s a global issue,” Biden said as the “Quad” summit with Japan, Australia and India got under way.
While the president did not directly call out any countries, his message appeared to be pointed, at least in part, at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with whom differences persist over how to respond to the Russian invasion.
Unlike other Quad countries and nearly every other U.S. ally, India has not imposed sanctions or even condemned Russia, its biggest supplier of military hardware.
With Modi sitting nearby, Biden made the case that the world has a shared responsibility to do something to assist Ukrainian resistance against Russia’s aggression.
“We’re navigating a dark hour in our shared history,” he said. “The Russian brutal and unprovoked war against Ukraine has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe and innocent civilians have been killed in the streets and millions of refugees are internally displaced as well as in exile.”
“The world has to deal with it and we are,” he added.
Later, in comments to reporters after a one-on-one meeting with Modi, Biden said they discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “and the effect it has on the entire global world order.” Biden added that the U.S. and India will continue to consult “on how to mitigate these negative effects.”
But in a reflection of India’s relationship with Moscow, the Quad leaders’ post-summit joint statement made no mention of Russia.
In his comments, Modi made no mention of the war in Ukraine, instead ticking off several trade and investment programs that he discussed with the president.
The White House has been effusive in its praise of several Pacific countries, including Japan, Singapore and South Korea, for stepping up to hit Russia with tough sanctions and export bans while offering humanitarian and military assistance to Kyiv.
For several of the bigger Asian powers, the invasion has been seen as a crucial moment for the world to demonstrate by a strong response to Russia that China should not try to seize contested territory through military action.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, taking note of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, told the other leaders: “We cannot let the same thing happen in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The Associated Press
The White House has been disappointed with the relative silence of India, the world’s biggest democracy.
Biden has asked Modi not to accelerate the buying of Russian oil as the U.S. and other allies look to squeeze Moscow’s energy income. The Indian prime minister made no public commitment to get off from Russian oil, and Biden has publicly referred to India as “somewhat shaky” in its response to the invasion.
Facing Western pressure, India has condemned civilian deaths in Ukraine and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Yet it also has compounded fallout from a war that has caused a global food shortage by banning wheat exports at a time when starvation is a growing risk in parts of the world. The Indian prime minister did not address Russia’s war against Ukraine in his public remarks at the summit.
Biden has been making his case to Modi for weeks.
The two spoke about the Russian invasion during a virtual Quad leaders’ meeting in March, and last month they had a short video conversation when Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with their Indian counterparts in Washington.
“So it won’t be a new conversation,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said ahead of the summit. “It will be a continuation of the conversation they’ve already had about how we see the picture in Ukraine and the impacts of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine on a wider set of concerns in the world.”
While Biden and Modi may avoid public confrontation over how to respond to Russia’s aggression, the issue remains a major one as the U.S. and allies are looking to tighten the pressure on Putin., said Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
“It appears pretty clear the Biden administration is not looking for trouble with India and that most of these difficult conversations will be in private,” said Green, who was a senior National Security Council aide during the George W. Bush administration.
The summit came on the final day of Biden’s five-day visit to Japan and South Korea, Biden’s first trip to Asia as president.
It also marked new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s first moment on the global stage. The new premier flew to Tokyo on Monday right after being sworn into office. The center-left Labor Party defeated Prime Minister Scott Morrison over the weekend, ending the conservative leader’s nine-year rule
Biden, Modi and Kishida welcomed Albanese to the club and expressed awe at his determination to join the informal security coalition so quickly after assuming office.
“I don’t know how you’re doing it,” Biden, who looked a bit worn from his own travel, told Albanese. The U.S. president joked that it would be OK if the new prime minister happened to fall sleep during the meeting.
Biden was to meet separately with Albanes later Tuesday. The four-way partnership has become increasingly relevant as Biden has moved to adjust U.S. foreign policy to put greater focus on the region and to counter China’s rise as an economic and security power. He held bilateral talks with summit host Kishida on Monday.
Albanese told his fellow Quad leaders he was dedicated to the group’s mission to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“We have had a change of government in Australia, but Australia’s commitment to the Quad has not changed and will not change,” Albanese said.
Looming over the Quad leaders’ talks was Biden’s blunt statement on Monday that the U.S. would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan, saying the burden to protect Taiwan is “even stronger’ after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The White House insists that Biden’s unusually forceful comments about Taiwan did not amount to a shift in U.S. policy toward the self-ruled island that China claims as its own.
Asked by the reporters at the summit on Tuesday if his comments on Taiwan a day earlier were meant to mark a policy change, Biden simply replied, “No.”
Some modest initiatives were announced by the Quad leaders, including a new effort to provide pediatric COVID-19 vaccines to countries most in need and a program to help nations improve security and environmental awareness of their territorial waters.
The Quad last year pledged to donate 1.2 billion vaccine doses globally. So far, the group has provided about 257 million doses, according to the Biden administration.
___
RELATED VIDEO:
Quad Summit: Biden Stresses IPEF Importance Amid Russia-Ukraine War
US President Joe Biden said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine heightens the importance of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, or IPEF, during the Quad summit in Tokyo with Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Australia’s new PM Anthony Albanese and India’s PM Narendra Modi.
“Shortly before Russia launched this invasion, my administration published our Indo-Pacific strategy to advance a free, open, connected, secure and resilient Indo-Pacific,” said Biden.
Altogether the nations involved in the IPEF constitute roughly 40% of global gross domestic product, according to the White House, which has touted its launch as a marquee accomplishment of President Joe Biden’s first trip to Asia.
Australia, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand were included, along with seven Southeast Asian countries.
The framework is the most significant US effort to engage Asia on economic matters since former President Donald Trump in 2017 withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement negotiated under the Obama administration.
But unlike that trade deal, the new framework doesn’t include any tariff reductions and it’s unclear which parts are binding, making it hard to quantify the economic benefits.
“This framework is intended to advance resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, economic growth, fairness, and competitiveness for our economies,” the countries said in a joint statement. “Through this initiative, we aim to contribute to cooperation, stability, prosperity, development, and peace within the region.”
A senior administration official said the US didn’t invite China to join the framework, partly because it will be based on a set of standards the White House believes Beijing would have a hard time meeting.
The US selected the initial group out of a desire to reach beyond countries that have deep economic ties with America, while also ensuring they can agree to at least one of the pillars, the official said.
The US official said the timeline for reaching substantive commitments — both binding and non-binding — will be shorter than traditional trade negotiations that include tariff reductions. The US hopes to know which countries will participate in each of the four pillars by mid-June, and aims to have substantive commitments in about 12 to 18 months, the official said.
Many countries in the region are reluctant to sign up to any agreement that doesn’t include China, which is the largest trading partner for most governments. The US offer to keep the framework open to China had been demanded in particular by countries in Southeast Asia. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam ended up participating in the framework.
China has repeatedly accused the US of seeking to contain its rise by forming economic and military alliances in the region. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the US’s Indo-Pacific strategy was “doomed to fail.”
“Facts will prove that the so-called ‘Indo-Pacific strategy’ is essentially a strategy for creating divisions, a strategy for inciting confrontation, and a strategy for destroying peace,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The nations included in IPEF represent $34.7 trillion in global output, or about 41% of global production, compared with $31.7 trillion for TPP members, according to Bloomberg calculations.
Trade with the region supports more than three million American jobs, according to the White House. The biggest economies in IPEF include Japan and India, which are also both members of the Quad group of nations in addition to Australia.
The US didn’t invite Taiwan to join the framework, even after more than 50 senators wrote to Biden urging him to include the government in Taipei. Tensions have recently increased over Taiwan, which has long been the biggest potential military flashpoint between the US and China.
Latest News:
Biden budget with deficit cuts, tax hikes won’t fly with GOP
A global mystery: What’s known about Nord Stream explosions
La Nina, which worsens hurricanes and drought, is gone
Apology letter found after US citizens killed in Mexico
China threatens US entities over downing of balloon
Great Yarmouth: Huge blast after unplanned WW2 bomb detonation
Race to find survivors as quake aid pours into Turkey, Syria
US downs suspected Chinese spy balloon off Carolina coast
House GOP votes to oust Democrat Omar from major committee
Iranian Navy Ships Dock In Brazil Despite US Concerns
Biden to highlight grant for NYC rail tunnel under Hudson
Tyre Nichols’ family to address additional police discipline
Suspect in NYC truck attack that killed 8 found guilty in terror trial
Texas silent after Guard member shoots migrant on border
Ukraine war moves ‘Doomsday Clock’ to 90 seconds to midnight
In reversal, US poised to approve Abrams tanks for Ukraine
Suspect in shootings at Northern Calif. farms was employee
Shooter stood over California mom holding baby, killed both
Ukraine helicopter crash kills interior minister, others
US divided over Roe’s repeal as abortion foes gird for march
Family of 6 including baby shot to death in California
Lisa Marie Presley dies at 54 after hospitalization
Justice Dept. enters political fray with 2 special counsels
Guitar legend Jeff Beck dies suddenly at age 78
House Republican Leadership Press Conference
‘What madness looks like’: Russia intensifies Bakhmut attack
California storms persist with deluges, mudslide threats
'Ukraine can count on the UK to provide support' - Rishi Sunak
TTP challenges Pakistan's sovereignty, declares own government
Ukraine claims hundreds of Russian soldiers killed by missile attack
La Nina, which worsens hurricanes and drought, is gone
FILE - A house sits in Rock Creek after floodwaters washed away a road and a bridge in Red Lodge,...
Read More
Apology letter found after US citizens killed in Mexico
A Mexican army soldier guards the Tamaulipas State Prosecutor´s headquarters in Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, March 8, 2023. A road trip...
Read More
China threatens US entities over downing of balloon
FILE - In this photo provided by Chad Fish, the remnants of a large balloon drift above the Atlantic Ocean,...
Read More
Asia China East Asia F-22 featured Pentagon South Carolina Top News United States US Air Force US Military
US downs suspected Chinese spy balloon off Carolina coast
WASHINGTON – A U.S. warplane shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon off the South Carolina coast Saturday afternoon, sending its surveillance...
Read More
House GOP votes to oust Democrat Omar from major committee
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., leaves the House chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. House Republicans have...
Read More
Iranian Navy Ships Dock In Brazil Despite US Concerns
(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Iran's new Sahand destroyer is seen alongside the country's national flag in a photo by the Iranian...
Read More
