While the summit was cancelled, Albanese suggested to the quad leaders, a.o modes and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida could meet later this week on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima. Modi will leave for the G7 summit on Friday. Biden and Republicans in Congress are discussing raising the debt ceiling — the federal government’s borrowing limit, which currently stands at $31.4 trillion. As the cap has been breached, Congress must raise it to ensure the US does not default on its repayment obligations after June 1, an event that could wreak havoc around the world.
Modi’s off line-up: meetings with PMs and CEOs, diaspora talk
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday announced the cancellation of next week’s Quad Summit in Sydney, as protracted debt limit negotiations forced President Joe Biden to cancel the visit.
speaker Kevin McCarthy and the Republicans have imposed harsh terms, forcing the government to negotiate. Though the cap has been raised 78 times since 1960, the last increase in 2021, the rift between Democrats and Republicans has left the Biden administration just two weeks away.
In an official announcement on Tuesday, the government said Modi would also travel to the Sydney summit, which she added gave leaders an opportunity to exchange views on developments in the Indo-Pacific region and share their vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
Modi, who will become India’s first prime minister to travel from Japan to Papua New Guinea, is scheduled to arrive in Australia on May 23. He will hold a bilateral meeting with Albanese and will also interact with Australian CEOs and business leaders and address the Indian diaspora at a community event in Sydney.
Albanese said he was looking forward to welcoming Modi. “PM Modi will be here with me for a bilateral meeting next week,” Albanese told ABC Radio in Brisbane. Modi will also hold business meetings and hold a very public event at the Homebush at the Sydney Olympic Park, he said. “He will also address Australia-India business relations… I look forward to welcoming him to Sydney,” Albanese said.
Like Modi, Biden of Japan was also scheduled to visit Papua New Guinea before traveling to Australia. The White House said in a statement Biden canceled his visit to both Australia and Papua New Guinea because of ongoing debt ceiling negotiations in Washington. “The President has made it clear that members of Congress from both parties and chambers must come together to prevent a default, as they have done 78 times before. The President and his team will continue to work with Congressional leadership to reach a budget agreement that can reach the President.’s desk“, the statement said.
