Quad leaders vow free and open Indo-Pacific, action on climate

U.S. would stand with its allies to push for a free and open Indo-Pacific region, says Biden.

The four leaders of the "Quad" group of countries vowed on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, to work together for a free and open Indo-Pacific region and to fight climate change, as they met for talks aimed at standing up to an increasingly assertive China.

U.S. President Joe Biden, at the opening of talks with the leaders of three "close democratic partners", including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine as not just a European issue but a global one.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, echoed that, saying the same thing should not be allowed to happen in Asia.

Taiwan was not an official item on the Quad agenda, a U.S. official said, but it was expected to be an important topic a day after Biden broke with convention and volunteered U.S. military support for the self-governed island claimed by China.

"This is more than just a European issue, it's a global issue," Mr. Biden said of the Ukraine, as the talks, which include Australia's new Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, got underway.

Mr. Biden stressed that the United States would stand with its allies to push for a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

"Russia's assault of Ukraine only heightens the importance of those goals of fundamental principles of international order, territorial integrity and sovereignty. International law, human rights must always be defended regardless of where they're violated in the world," he said.