Biden caught warning Anthony Albanese that China is behaving ‘aggressively’ and ‘testing us all’

Joe Biden was caught warning Anthony Albanese and the leaders of India and Japan that China is behaving aggressively and “testing all of us in the region” at a turbulent time for Beijing.

The US president’s blunt comments came after he, Mr Albanese, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi all stressed the strength of the Quad ahead of closed-door talks in Delaware on Saturday.

Mr Albanese was reluctant throughout the weekend to name China as a priority for the Quad, although US officials have said the Asian superpower would be at the top of the agenda.

It was the first topic Mr Biden addressed after the media was ejected from the meeting room, telling other leaders that China’s aggression appeared to be “a change in tactics, not a change in strategy”.

“China continues to behave aggressively, testing us all over the region, and that’s true in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, South China, South Asia, and the Taiwan Strait,” Biden said.

“At least from our perspective, we think that (Chinese President) Xi Jinping is seeking to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimize turbulence in China’s diplomatic relations, and he’s also seeking to buy diplomatic space, in my view, to aggressively defend China’s interests.”

The comments, which are likely to be interpreted by China as confirmation that the group will continue to ally against it, were echoed by reporters outside the room watching the broadcast.

In a joint statement released later, the allies said they had serious concerns about “coercive and intimidating maneuvers in the South China Sea,” but did not name China.

“We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas,” they said in the Wilmington Declaration.

“We continue to express our deep concern about the militarization of disputed areas and coercive and intimidating maneuvers in the South China Sea. We condemn the dangerous use of coast guard vessels and maritime militias, including the increasing use of dangerous maneuvers.”

The Chinese military has recently been involved in multiple clashes with the Philippine Coast Guard, as well as a number of dangerous encounters with Australian forces.

As part of the Quad’s enhanced security cooperation, the Australian Border Force will team up with the US, Japanese and Indian coast guards from next year, and the four countries will also cooperate on maritime air patrols to track activities such as illegal fishing and transnational crime.

Although Mr Albanese said the details of the Coast Guard deployment were still being worked out, a senior Biden administration official said the deal “means the Quad will partner with US ships in 2025 in the South China Sea”.

Under a separate initiative, the Quad countries will strengthen maritime aerial surveillance to combat illegal fishing and drug traffickers.

“It’s obviously very important that they can monitor some of the illegal fishing and other activities that are going on there, and that will help,” Albanese told reporters.

The Quad faces major upheaval as Mr Biden and Mr Kishida retire from politics in a few months and Mr Albanese also faces an election likely before the Quad’s next meeting.

“Even though challenges will arise, the world will change, because the Quad is here to stay, I believe, here to stay,” Biden said after welcoming the other leaders.

He had earlier told reporters that the Quad would survive “well beyond November”, despite fears that if Donald Trump won the US election he might abandon the forum.

Mr Albanese said he believed “the sum of the four individual parts” of the countries together makes their work together more effective.

“Unlike some international forums, the Quad… does not have a long history. That means it is not defined by tradition, but it also means it is not limited by it,” he said.

“That means that as it develops, it can evolve – and I believe that is what is happening.”

The Quad was originally created as a coordination mechanism following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Biden elevated it to a leader-level meeting after he became president in 2021 and it has met five times since.

The president is now seeking to consolidate his leadership by emphasizing the Indo-Pacific region as part of his foreign policy, with an emphasis on the region as a counterweight to China’s rise.

Mr Modi noted that Saturday’s meeting came at a time when the world was “surrounded by conflicts and tensions”.

But he insisted that “we are not against anyone,” despite China’s continued concern about the alliance.

The Indian prime minister switched from Hindi to English to add: “Our message is clear: the Quad is here to stay, to help, to partner and to complement.”

Mr Albanese said Australia viewed the Quad as a vital instrument to promote regional stability and was focused on delivering practical and meaningful outcomes.

Saturday’s meeting was held at Archmere Academy, under a stained-glass roof depicting clouds and vines in the lobby of the 1918 building that was originally owned by businessman John Raskob.

Mr. Biden attended the Catholic high school, as did all three of his children. It was also the funeral home for his eldest son Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015 and inspired the president’s cancer-fighting plan, which is now part of a Quad initiative.

Ahead of the meeting, four members of the US Congress teamed up to form bipartisan Quad caucuses – similar to Australia’s parliamentary friendship groups – and return to the diplomatic group for the long term.

Republican Congressman Rob Wittman said the Quad had proven it could build a better future for nations by working together.

“I am proud to join my colleagues in launching this bicameral, bipartisan Quad Caucus to foster stable collaboration for years to come,” he said.