Prime Minister anthony Albanese has raised concerns with Chinese Premier Li Qiang over a recent incident in the South China Sea involving an Australian RAAF P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, as he reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to the Quadrilateral Security Dialog (QUAD).
The QUAD - a strategic forum comprising australia, india, Japan, and the United States – has faced questions regarding its future following the return of Donald Trump to the US presidency and earlier this year, a period of heightened tensions between the US and India.
Speaking at the ASEAN summit in Kuala lumpur on Monday, Albanese responded to calls from Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for the QUAD to continue, stating, “The QUAD is meaningful for us to engage - Australia, the US, Japan and india.”
Albanese expressed optimism about a future meeting, saying, “I’m hopeful that there will be a meeting in the first quarter, I would hope, of next year. Prime Minister Modi is due to host the QUAD meeting.”
The Prime Minister also welcomed the recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Korea, noting, “This is a busy summit season. President Trump has a busy period. He is travelling to Japan but also having the meeting in Korea with President Xi. We welcome the fact that the leaders of the two largest economies in the world are having that direct engagement.”
