Biden tells Quad allies: China 'testing us'

US President Joe Biden was caught telling his Quad summit partners that China was "testing us" with aggressive tactics — comments which overtook a carefully worded joint statement which did not mention Beijing by name.

"China continues to behave aggressively, testing us all across the region, and it's true in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, South China, South Asia and the Taiwan Straits," Biden was overheard telling Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

What else did Biden say?

The comments were caught on hot mic after the leaders gave their opening remarks in Biden's final quad summit, which he is hosting near his home town of Wilmington, Delaware.

"At least from our perspective, we believe [Chinese President] Xi Jinping is looking to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimize the turbulence in China's diplomatic relationships, and he's also looking to buy himself some diplomatic space, in my view, to aggressively pursue China's interest," he went on to say.

Biden's comments risk efforts by all four nations to insist that the summit goes beyond providing a counterweight to China's growing influence.

The US and China have long been economic and diplomatic rivals, be it on issues of Taiwan, the South China Sea, trade routes or scarce minerals.

Both Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have worked at improving relations over the past year after a series of incidents led to the breakdown of communication channels in 2022-2023. 

What did the joint statement say?

In a joint statement released on Saturday evening, Biden, Modi, Kishida and Albanese agreed to increased cooperation between governments and the private sector to support the region's growth.

While refraining from a mention of China directly, the statement said: "We strongly oppose any destabilizing or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion."

"We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas," their declaration said.

It further condemned "recent illicit missile launches in the region that violate UN Security Council resolutions," referring to North Korea's growing test launches without naming the nation.

The grouping further announced health initiatives like the 'Quad cancer Moonshot,' aimed at reducing the cancer burden on the region.

Speaking of the overhanging US Presidential election, Biden said the grouping would survive whatever the political situation may be.  

"While challenges will come, the world will change because the Quad is here to stay," Biden said.

The summit is seen as an attempt by Biden, who will leave office after this November's election, to cement the Quad, and offer reassurance that it would survive past the end of his term. 

mk/rmt (AP, AFP)