US President Joe Biden has apologised to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for cancelling his trip to Sydney next week, as they signed an agreement on clean energy and climate action.
Key points:
- Joe Biden was meant to go to Sydney next week for a Quad meeting
- A looming debt ceiling crisis in the US forced him to cancel
- Australia and the US signed a clean energy deal on the sidelines at the G7
The pair met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, where the leaders of the world’s most advanced economies are meeting to discuss matters such as the war in Ukraine and China’s ambition in the Indo-Pacific region.
Mr Biden was due to travel from Japan to Australia, with a stop over in Papua New Guinea, to address federal parliament in Canberra and attend the Quad Leader’s summit at the Sydney Opera House.
But tricky ongoing negotiations with congress on the US debt ceiling have forced him to cut his overseas trip short, and return to Washington DC on Sunday.
“I’m sorry this meeting is not taking place in your country, Australia, and I deeply appreciate the flexibility in meeting me here at the G7 meeting,” Mr Biden said at the Grand Prince Hotel in Hiroshima.
“I’m looking forward to our conversation today, and hosting you for an official state visit this year in Washington DC.
“And again, I truly apologise to you for having you to come here, rather than me be in Australia right now – but we have a little thing going on at home I got to pay attention to.”
Despite his disappointment, Mr Albanese accepted the situation at hand.
“Certainly, I understand the circumstances that led us to hold the Sydney Quad meeting in Hiroshima later this evening,” Mr Albanese quipped.
“I understand the circumstances that you’re dealing with, and I would’ve done exactly the same thing – all politics is local.”
Australia and US sign clean energy deal
The comments came shortly after the pair signed a “climate, critical minerals and clean energy transformation compact” – a deal promising to strengthen cooperation across the Pacific in tackling climate change.
“This compact and statement of intent are a testament to our close cooperation – and I mean that, close,” Mr Biden said grabbing Mr Albanese’s arm.
“We’re going to establish climate and clean energy as the third pillar of the Australia-US alliance.
“This compact is going to enable the expansion and diversification of clean energy supply chains, especially as it relates to critical materials.”
The prime minister argued he was taking the issue much more seriously than his predecessor.
“Action on climate change, I say, is the entry fee to credibility in the Indo-Pacific,” Mr Albanese said.
“Many of our neighbours understand that climate change is an existential threat, and what we understand is that it’s an important component of our national security.
“That’s why it is an important component, an essential part of our alliance.”
G7 focuses on countering Russia and China
The meeting comes after the United States announced it would allow NATO allies to supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, months after the country pleaded for their delivery.
“We and our allies and partners have really focused on providing Ukraine with the systems, weapons and training that it needs,” White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan said.
The US legally has to approve the re-export of such equipment.
The move will greatly bolster Ukraine’s beleaguered air defences, but will likely take months to deliver, with its fighter pilots needing to be trained first.
The US said the fighter jets would be supplied with the usual proviso they are not used to strike Russian territory, to avoid escalating the conflict further.
“All of the capabilities that the United States is providing to Ukraine, come with the basic proposition that the United States is not enabling, or supporting attacks on Russian territory,” Mr Sullivan said.
“That will go for the support for the provision of F16s by any party as well. The Ukrainians have consistently indicated that they are prepared to follow through on that.”
Before his departure to Japan, Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised he would return with more powerful military hardware.
“We’re returning home with new military help, newer and more powerful weapons for the front, more protection for our people,” he said in a video uploaded to social media.
China’s military build-up in the Pacific and threats to invade Taiwan was another common concern among G7 nations, especially Japan, the only Asian member.
Leaders at the G7 are trying to unstitch some of their economic relationship, but not break it completely, in a bid to protect sensitive technology.
“We do not seek to thwart China’s economic progress and development,” a draft G7 leaders communique says, according to Reuters news agency.