Three country leaders will visit White House on Friday, over the importance of U.S. involvement in Indo-Pacific region and its work with four-way alliance known as the Quad.
The leaders of Australia, India and Japan were to meet with the U.S. President, Joe Biden.
The White House said it would be the first in-person meeting of the leaders of these four countries in this format.
Although the U.S. President did host an online meeting of the same group earlier in the year.
The meeting was part of a push by the U.S. government to renew and strengthen international alliances.
This particular group of countries began working together after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, though the four leaders only got together for a meeting under the auspices of the Quad in March.
During the March meeting, the four leaders agreed that one of their main priorities would be to boost India’s capacity to produce coronavirus vaccines.
A senior U.S. official said the COVID-19 pandemic would continue to be a major topic and that concrete announcements on the subject should be expected.
He also said to expect statements on the climate and series of bilateral talks were also expected between the four leaders.
Biden had been clear since taking office that he wanted to make the Indo-Pacific region a U.S. priority to counterbalance the spread of Chinese strength in the region. (dpa/NAN)
