Australian PM: Quad meeting will anchor stability

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday his first-ever meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden as well as the leaders of India and Japan will become "an anchor of stability in the Indo-Pacific" region. Known as the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue," representatives for the four member nations have met periodically since its establishment in 2007.

That followed the nations providing relief to Indonesia following the 2004 tsunami there. But this virtual gathering Saturday morning, Australia time, will mark the first time all four leaders will come together. China has called the so-called Quad an attempt to contain its ambitions.

Morrison refuted the suggestion, saying it was an expression of regional partnership to "benefits all nations of the Indo-Pacific". Biden has said that he sees cooperation with U.S. allies in the region as a central focus of his strategy to deal with China's growing economic and military strength.

While Biden has said he wants a more civil relationship with Beijing, he's shown no sign of softening former President Donald Trump's confrontational measures on trade, technology and human rights. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said he hoped the meeting would lead to peaceful development and regional cooperation.

China-Australian relations have plumbed new depths since Australia called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.

Image: AP