Quad Summit moves to Biden's hometown in Delaware; India to host next year

PM Modi, US President Biden, Australian PM Albanese and Japanese PM Kishida hold a Quad meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Hiroshima on May 20, 2023.

The Quad leaders are set to gather in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 21, marking a shift from the original plan to host the summit in India. The latest decision allows US President Joe Biden to host the summit in his hometown, making it a significant event as it will be the final summit for both Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who are expected to step down soon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will also attend the summit, aligning with their visit to the US for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). PM Modi is scheduled to address the “Summit of the Future” during the UNGA.

The move to Wilmington, reported by Japanese newspaper Nikkei Asia, came after consultations among Quad partners. This arrangement lets Biden host the summit in his final year as president, while India will now host the Quad summit in 2025, potentially under the new US administration led by either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.

The Wilmington summit will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Quad’s formation and will address a comprehensive agenda, including COVID-19 response, emerging technologies, and supply chain cooperation. Despite the Quad's growing significance in the Indo-Pacific, the summit occurs amidst a heated US presidential election campaign.

In a related development, Indian officials have confirmed that the decision to swap hosting duties was finalised after discussions between PM Modi, Biden, and Australian leaders.

The Quad, initially formed in 2004 for disaster response, was revitalised in 2017 under former President Trump. Biden’s administration held the first leader-level summits, both virtually in March 2021 and in person at the White House in September 2021.

On September 22, PM Modi will also address a diaspora event in New York and attend the “Summit of the Future” at the UN. However, he will not remain to deliver his address to the UN General Assembly, which will now be presented by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on September 28.