Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Jo Yong has threatened to scrap inter-Korean co-operation as she condemned ongoing military drills between South Korea and the United States, and cautioned the US against “causing a stink” if it wants peace.

North Korea turns up heat on United States President Joe Biden

US&nbsp;President Joe Biden said on Sunday the virtual summit he held last week with the leaders of India, Japan and Australia went very well. 
 
Biden and the other leaders pledged on Friday at the first summit of a group known as the Quad to work to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region and to cooperate on maritime, cyber and economic security, issues vital to the four democracies in the face of challenges from China. 
 
"It went very well. Everybody seemed to like it a great deal," Biden told reporters when asked about the meeting on his return to the White House from a weekend stay at his home in Delaware.

US President Joe Biden said on Sunday the virtual summit he held last week with the leaders of India, Japan and Australia went very well. Biden and the other leaders pledged on Friday at the first summit of a group known as the Quad to work to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region and to cooperate on maritime, cyber and economic security, issues vital to the four democracies in the face of challenges from China.

US President Joe Biden said on Sunday the virtual summit he held last week with the leaders of India, Japan and Australia went very well. Biden and the other leaders pledged on Friday at the first summit of a group known as the Quad to work to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region and to cooperate on maritime, cyber and economic security, issues vital to the four democracies in the face of challenges from China. "It went very well. Everybody seemed to like it a great deal," Biden told reporters when asked about the meeting on his return to the White House from a weekend stay at his home in Delaware.

Quad summit of US, India, Japan and Australia went very well, says Joe Biden

Two ambitions lie at the center of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy agenda: rebuilding ties with frustrated allies and assembling a united front on China.

This week, he is attempting both as he dispatches two of his most senior envoys to Japan and South Korea in his administration’s highest-level foreign travel since it took office in January.

The visits to the United States’ strongest partners in East Asia are a prelude to the Biden administration’s opening round of face-to-face contact with Beijing. One of the envoys, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, will travel on to Alaska and join Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, in a meeting with China’s two top diplomats.

The administration sees the gathering as a chance to establish ground rules and set red lines for a relationship that Blinken has called “the biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century.” U.S. officials have described it as “a one-off session” to identify issues where Washington can work with Beijing — and then “lay out, in very frank terms, the many concerns that we have,” Blinken told Congress last week.

The flurry of diplomacy, which began Friday with a virtual summit with the U.S.’s so-called Quad allies — Australia, India and Japan — establishes the Asia-Pacific as a top priority for the Biden administration after Barack Obama’s halting “pivot” to Asia and Donald Trump’s bluntly transactional approach to alliances in the region.

The dialogue with allies less than two months into the new administration also underlines the president’s goal of shoring up international partnerships to face down adversaries and, in turn, further U.S. interests.

“The more China hears, not just our opprobrium, but a course of opprobrium from around the world, the better the chance that we’ll get some changes,” Blinken told a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in Washington last week.

It will not be easy. China, having brought the coronavirus to heel early in the pandemic, has only bolstered its economic position as rivals in the West struggle to recover. And militarily it has narrowed the gap with the United States through huge investments. Those strengths have helped embolden China on the global stage.

Even as Washington tries to chart a new, if still wary, relationship with Beijing, U.S. officials on Friday downplayed the notion that China would overshadow the three days of discussions in Tokyo and Seoul. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III are expected to discuss a range of subjects, including the pandemic, climate change and the large U.S. troop presence in the region.

Relations between Japan and South Korea, which have reached a low point over historical disputes, are likely to be a topic of conversation. Also on the agenda will be the month-old military coup in Myanmar and North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, which remain firmly in place after the Trump administration’s failed flirtation with the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un.

The decision to make Japan the first destination for Blinken and Austin was seen as a significant and reassuring development in Tokyo, which worked hard to maintain close ties with Trump even as he demanded huge increases in payments to keep U.S. troops in the country. On Friday, the White House announced that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga would be the first foreign leader to meet with Biden in Washington.

“At the end of the Trump administration, with regard to Asia, we were bickering with our allies over how much to pay for the cost sharing in terms of defense,” said Victor Cha, who oversaw Asia policy at the White House during the George W. Bush administration and advises the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “We had a very unilateral view when it came to alliances as a nation, almost a disdainful view with regard to them.”

“At the same time,” Cha said, “China was using its economic leverage all around the region to bully other countries.”

The Trump administration took an often contradictory approach toward China. Trump often flattered its authoritarian leader, Xi Jinping, as he tried to strike trade deals. At the same time, his administration criticized Beijing’s human rights abuses, military and cyberspace incursions, and assaults on democracy.

The Biden administration’s strategy could prove just as dizzying. Blinken has described seeking a relationship that is based at once on cooperation, competition and, as needed, confrontation with China.

To make it work, the United States is banking on backup from allies like Japan and South Korea. Both countries have tried to walk a fine line on China: Their prosperity depends on trade with Beijing, but they break with China on matters of security, democracy and human rights.

Tokyo has grown more vocal as the Chinese military has made incursions around islands that Japan administers in the East China Sea, known in Japan as the Senkakus and in China as the Diaoyu. Seoul has used its temperate relations with Beijing as a pressure tactic against North Korea, which depends on China to keep its economy afloat.

For their part, China’s leaders have said they are eager to get the relationship with the United States back on an even keel. Some analysts have warned that any steps toward a detente could just buy China more time to develop technological and military capabilities before a diplomatic breakdown.

“As two countries with different social systems, China and the United States naturally have differences and disagreements,” Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, said at a news conference in Beijing on March 7. Wang and Yang Jiechi, China’s top diplomat, will be meeting with Blinken in Alaska.

Wang called it normal to have a “healthy competition on a fair and just basis for the purpose of self-improvement and mutual enhancement, rather than finger-pointing or zero-sum competition.”

Yet Chinese leaders also appear concerned about the Biden strategy of rallying allies into a coherent bloc against China, something that could hurt Beijing politically and economically. Last week, for example, the Quad countries announced an effort to ship coronavirus vaccines to Southeast Asia, countering China’s own efforts at so-called vaccine diplomacy.

Wang cited the pandemic, the economic recovery from it and climate change as areas where China and the United States could cooperate, though he provided no details. But he said that the United States and others had no right to interfere in what he described as internal matters — human rights abuses against ethnic Uighurs in China’s western Xinjiang region, efforts to subvert democracy in Hong Kong and surveillance and repression in Tibet.

He also drew a “red line” on the question of Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island that Beijing claims as an inalienable part of a greater China.

Days later, a U.S. destroyer passed through the Taiwan Strait. The United States describes such voyages as routine, but they are seen as hostile by China. It was the third since Biden came into office, signaling support of Taiwan.

While Japanese officials are sure to seek assurances from Austin that the U.S. military would come to Japan’s aid in the event of a conflict with China over the Senkaku Islands, his time in Seoul is expected to be consumed with the question of whether to resume regular large-scale military exercises with South Korea, which Trump abruptly canceled.

Last week, the two countries reached a cost-sharing agreement for stationing U.S. troops in South Korea, a presence that Trump had also threatened to end.

After the meetings in Tokyo and Seoul, Austin will travel to India, which is at its lowest point in relations with China in decades after a deadly border incursion last summer. Blinken will arrive in Alaska on Thursday for the meeting with the Chinese envoys.

As he wished Blinken luck for the talks, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned that “we cannot treat them as a normal adversary.”

“We are truly in an ideological struggle fighting for democracy against authoritarianism and promoting freedom over oppression,” McCaul said. He added that the United States had for four decades “turned a blind eye” to China’s ruling Communist Party in hopes of persuading its leaders to follow international norms.

“Unfortunately, it just didn’t work,” McCaul said.

Two ambitions lie at the center of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy agenda: rebuilding ties with frustrated allies and assembling a united front on China. This week, he is attempting both as he dispatches two of his most senior envoys to Japan and South Korea in his administration’s highest-level foreign travel since it took office in January.

Two ambitions lie at the center of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy agenda: rebuilding ties with frustrated allies and assembling a united front on China. This week, he is attempting both as he dispatches two of his most senior envoys to Japan and South Korea in his administration’s highest-level foreign travel since it took office in January. The visits to the United States’ strongest partners in East Asia are a prelude to the Biden administration’s opening round of face-to-face contact with Beijing. One of the envoys, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, will travel on to Alaska and join Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, in a meeting with China’s two top diplomats. The administration sees the gathering as a chance to establish ground rules and set red lines for a relationship that Blinken has called “the biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century.” U.S. officials have described it as “a one-off session” to identify issues where Washington can work with Beijing — and then “lay out, in very frank terms, the many concerns that we have,” Blinken told Congress last week. The flurry of diplomacy, which began Friday with a virtual summit with the U.S.’s so-called Quad allies — Australia, India and Japan — establishes the Asia-Pacific as a top priority for the Biden administration after Barack Obama’s halting “pivot” to Asia and Donald Trump’s bluntly transactional approach to alliances in the region. The dialogue with allies less than two months into the new administration also underlines the president’s goal of shoring up international partnerships to face down adversaries and, in turn, further U.S. interests. “The more China hears, not just our opprobrium, but a course of opprobrium from around the world, the better the chance that we’ll get some changes,” Blinken told a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in Washington last week. It will not be easy. China, having brought the coronavirus to heel early in the pandemic, has only bolstered its economic position as rivals in the West struggle to recover. And militarily it has narrowed the gap with the United States through huge investments. Those strengths have helped embolden China on the global stage. Even as Washington tries to chart a new, if still wary, relationship with Beijing, U.S. officials on Friday downplayed the notion that China would overshadow the three days of discussions in Tokyo and Seoul. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III are expected to discuss a range of subjects, including the pandemic, climate change and the large U.S. troop presence in the region. Relations between Japan and South Korea, which have reached a low point over historical disputes, are likely to be a topic of conversation. Also on the agenda will be the month-old military coup in Myanmar and North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, which remain firmly in place after the Trump administration’s failed flirtation with the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un. The decision to make Japan the first destination for Blinken and Austin was seen as a significant and reassuring development in Tokyo, which worked hard to maintain close ties with Trump even as he demanded huge increases in payments to keep U.S. troops in the country. On Friday, the White House announced that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga would be the first foreign leader to meet with Biden in Washington. “At the end of the Trump administration, with regard to Asia, we were bickering with our allies over how much to pay for the cost sharing in terms of defense,” said Victor Cha, who oversaw Asia policy at the White House during the George W. Bush administration and advises the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “We had a very unilateral view when it came to alliances as a nation, almost a disdainful view with regard to them.” “At the same time,” Cha said, “China was using its economic leverage all around the region to bully other countries.” The Trump administration took an often contradictory approach toward China. Trump often flattered its authoritarian leader, Xi Jinping, as he tried to strike trade deals. At the same time, his administration criticized Beijing’s human rights abuses, military and cyberspace incursions, and assaults on democracy. The Biden administration’s strategy could prove just as dizzying. Blinken has described seeking a relationship that is based at once on cooperation, competition and, as needed, confrontation with China. To make it work, the United States is banking on backup from allies like Japan and South Korea. Both countries have tried to walk a fine line on China: Their prosperity depends on trade with Beijing, but they break with China on matters of security, democracy and human rights. Tokyo has grown more vocal as the Chinese military has made incursions around islands that Japan administers in the East China Sea, known in Japan as the Senkakus and in China as the Diaoyu. Seoul has used its temperate relations with Beijing as a pressure tactic against North Korea, which depends on China to keep its economy afloat. For their part, China’s leaders have said they are eager to get the relationship with the United States back on an even keel. Some analysts have warned that any steps toward a detente could just buy China more time to develop technological and military capabilities before a diplomatic breakdown. “As two countries with different social systems, China and the United States naturally have differences and disagreements,” Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, said at a news conference in Beijing on March 7. Wang and Yang Jiechi, China’s top diplomat, will be meeting with Blinken in Alaska. Wang called it normal to have a “healthy competition on a fair and just basis for the purpose of self-improvement and mutual enhancement, rather than finger-pointing or zero-sum competition.” Yet Chinese leaders also appear concerned about the Biden strategy of rallying allies into a coherent bloc against China, something that could hurt Beijing politically and economically. Last week, for example, the Quad countries announced an effort to ship coronavirus vaccines to Southeast Asia, countering China’s own efforts at so-called vaccine diplomacy. Wang cited the pandemic, the economic recovery from it and climate change as areas where China and the United States could cooperate, though he provided no details. But he said that the United States and others had no right to interfere in what he described as internal matters — human rights abuses against ethnic Uighurs in China’s western Xinjiang region, efforts to subvert democracy in Hong Kong and surveillance and repression in Tibet. He also drew a “red line” on the question of Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island that Beijing claims as an inalienable part of a greater China. Days later, a U.S. destroyer passed through the Taiwan Strait. The United States describes such voyages as routine, but they are seen as hostile by China. It was the third since Biden came into office, signaling support of Taiwan. While Japanese officials are sure to seek assurances from Austin that the U.S. military would come to Japan’s aid in the event of a conflict with China over the Senkaku Islands, his time in Seoul is expected to be consumed with the question of whether to resume regular large-scale military exercises with South Korea, which Trump abruptly canceled. Last week, the two countries reached a cost-sharing agreement for stationing U.S. troops in South Korea, a presence that Trump had also threatened to end. After the meetings in Tokyo and Seoul, Austin will travel to India, which is at its lowest point in relations with China in decades after a deadly border incursion last summer. Blinken will arrive in Alaska on Thursday for the meeting with the Chinese envoys. As he wished Blinken luck for the talks, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned that “we cannot treat them as a normal adversary.” “We are truly in an ideological struggle fighting for democracy against authoritarianism and promoting freedom over oppression,” McCaul said. He added that the United States had for four decades “turned a blind eye” to China’s ruling Communist Party in hopes of persuading its leaders to follow international norms. “Unfortunately, it just didn’t work,” McCaul said.

Biden goals converge in Asia: Rebuilding alliances and countering China

President Joe Biden declined on Sunday to call on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign over sexual misconduct allegations, saying he wanted to await the outcome of an investigation into the matter.&nbsp;

Asked on returning from Delaware if Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, should step down, Biden told reporters: "I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us."&nbsp;

Cuomo faces accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct levelled by at least seven women, including former aides, and has come under pressure from disclosures that his administration withheld the number of nursing home residents killed in the state by Covid-19.&nbsp;

On Friday, New York's two Democratic US senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and most of the state's congressional delegation, including leading progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, urged Cuomo, now in his third term as governor, to resign.&nbsp;

Cuomo, 63, who is divorced, repeated his denial of the allegations on Friday and said it was 'reckless and dangerous' for politicians to ask him to resign before they have all the facts.&nbsp;

"Women have a right to come forward and be heard, and I encourage that fully. But I also want to be clear: There is still a question of the truth. I did not do what has been alleged, period,” Cuomo said on a call with reporters.&nbsp;

Asked if he ever had consensual romantic relationships with any of the women, Cuomo said he never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, and was sorry if he did.&nbsp;

On Sunday, Democratic US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi declined to join the call for Cuomo's resignation, telling ABC's "This Week" programme the allegations must be investigated.&nbsp;

"What these women have said must be treated with respect. They are credible and serious charges," Pelosi said. "The governor should look inside his heart - he loves New York - to see if he can govern effectively."&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

President Joe Biden declined on Sunday to call on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign over sexual misconduct allegations, saying he wanted to await the outcome of an investigation into the matter.

President Joe Biden declined on Sunday to call on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign over sexual misconduct allegations, saying he wanted to await the outcome of an investigation into the matter. Asked on returning from Delaware if Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, should step down, Biden told reporters: "I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us." Cuomo faces accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct levelled by at least seven women, including former aides, and has come under pressure from disclosures that his administration withheld the number of nursing home residents killed in the state by Covid-19. On Friday, New York's two Democratic US senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and most of the state's congressional delegation, including leading progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, urged Cuomo, now in his third term as governor, to resign. Cuomo, 63, who is divorced, repeated his denial of the allegations on Friday and said it was 'reckless and dangerous' for politicians to ask him to resign before they have all the facts. "Women have a right to come forward and be heard, and I encourage that fully. But I also want to be clear: There is still a question of the truth. I did not do what has been alleged, period,” Cuomo said on a call with reporters. Asked if he ever had consensual romantic relationships with any of the women, Cuomo said he never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, and was sorry if he did. On Sunday, Democratic US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi declined to join the call for Cuomo's resignation, telling ABC's "This Week" programme the allegations must be investigated. "What these women have said must be treated with respect. They are credible and serious charges," Pelosi said. "The governor should look inside his heart - he loves New York - to see if he can govern effectively." (With inputs from agencies)

Biden to await outcome of sexual misconduct probe for Cuomo's resignation

North Korea has not responded to BTS diplomatic outreach since mid-February by the United States President Joe Biden’s administration, including Pyongyang’s mission to the UN. Joe Biden has also called Kim Jong Un a thug on the campaign trail.

North Korea ignoring United States President Joe Biden's outreach

Joe Biden came to office promising a complete review of America's North Korea policy. But it seems he's already hit the first roadblock. There is radio silence from North Korea, Pyongyang has so far ignored all advances made by the Biden administration.

North Korea ignoring Biden administration's outreach

The United States President Joe Biden's administration ordered the government’s disaster emergency agency to help with a surge in migrant children crossing the southern border.

United States: Joe Biden turns to disasters agency for help with migrant crisis

United States President Joe Biden has sidestepped questions on whether New York Governor Andrew Cuomo should resign over allegations of sexual misconduct.

US: Prez Biden sidesteps questions calling over New York Governor's resignation

North Korea has not responded to behind-the-scenes diplomatic outreach since mid-February by President Joe Biden`s administration, including to Pyongyang`s mission to the United Nations, a senior Biden administration official told Reuters on Saturday.

The disclosure of the so-far unsuccessful U.S. outreach, which has not been previously reported, raises questions about how Biden will address mounting tensions with Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

It also adds a new dimension to a visit America`s top diplomat and defense secretary will make next week to South Korea and Japan, where concerns over North Korea`s nuclear arsenal are expected to be high on the agenda.

The senior Biden administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, offered few details on the diplomatic push. But the official said there had been efforts to reach out to the North Korean government "through several channels starting in mid-February, including in New York."

"To date, we have not received any response from Pyongyang," the official said.

North Korea`s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Biden administration has so far been cautious in publicly describing its approach to North Korea, saying it is carrying out a comprehensive policy review following former President Donald Trump`s unprecedented engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump`s efforts failed to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

The Biden administration official said it appeared there had been no active dialogue between the United States and North Korea for more than a year, including at the end of Trump`s administration, "despite multiple attempts during that time by the United States to engage."

The U.S. official declined to speculate about how the silence from Pyongyang would impact the Biden administration`s North Korea policy review, which was expected to be completed in the coming weeks.

During his election campaign, Biden described Kim as a "thug" and said he would only meet him "on the condition that he would agree that he would be drawing down his nuclear capacity."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has held out the possibility of additional sanctions, in coordination with allies, to press North Korea to denuclearise.

Sanctions have so far failed to convince Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.

Blinken is slated to host the first face-to-face discussions between senior Biden administration and Chinese officials on March 18 in Alaska. The Trump administration accused China of failing to enforce sanctions against North Korea.

A confidential U.N. report found that North Korea maintained and developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programs throughout 2020 in violation of international sanctions, helping fund them with some $300 million stolen through cyber hacks.

The report by independent sanctions monitors said Pyongyang "produced fissile material, maintained nuclear facilities and upgraded its ballistic missile infrastructure" while continuing to seek material and technology for those programs from abroad.

North Korea has not responded to behind-the-scenes diplomatic outreach since mid-February by President Joe Biden`s administration, including to Pyongyang`s mission to the United Nations, a senior Biden administration official told Reuters on Saturday.

North Korea has not responded to behind-the-scenes diplomatic outreach since mid-February by President Joe Biden`s administration, including to Pyongyang`s mission to the United Nations, a senior Biden administration official told Reuters on Saturday. The disclosure of the so-far unsuccessful U.S. outreach, which has not been previously reported, raises questions about how Biden will address mounting tensions with Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. It also adds a new dimension to a visit America`s top diplomat and defense secretary will make next week to South Korea and Japan, where concerns over North Korea`s nuclear arsenal are expected to be high on the agenda. The senior Biden administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, offered few details on the diplomatic push. But the official said there had been efforts to reach out to the North Korean government "through several channels starting in mid-February, including in New York." "To date, we have not received any response from Pyongyang," the official said. North Korea`s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Biden administration has so far been cautious in publicly describing its approach to North Korea, saying it is carrying out a comprehensive policy review following former President Donald Trump`s unprecedented engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump`s efforts failed to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. The Biden administration official said it appeared there had been no active dialogue between the United States and North Korea for more than a year, including at the end of Trump`s administration, "despite multiple attempts during that time by the United States to engage." The U.S. official declined to speculate about how the silence from Pyongyang would impact the Biden administration`s North Korea policy review, which was expected to be completed in the coming weeks. During his election campaign, Biden described Kim as a "thug" and said he would only meet him "on the condition that he would agree that he would be drawing down his nuclear capacity." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has held out the possibility of additional sanctions, in coordination with allies, to press North Korea to denuclearise. Sanctions have so far failed to convince Kim to give up his nuclear weapons. Blinken is slated to host the first face-to-face discussions between senior Biden administration and Chinese officials on March 18 in Alaska. The Trump administration accused China of failing to enforce sanctions against North Korea. A confidential U.N. report found that North Korea maintained and developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programs throughout 2020 in violation of international sanctions, helping fund them with some $300 million stolen through cyber hacks. The report by independent sanctions monitors said Pyongyang "produced fissile material, maintained nuclear facilities and upgraded its ballistic missile infrastructure" while continuing to seek material and technology for those programs from abroad.

North Korea unresponsive to behind-the-scenes Biden administration outreach, report says

The leaders of the Quad countries -- India, Australia, Japan and the United States -- have pledged to work with other countries who share the same goals, and to ensure that Covid vaccines are administered throughout the region till 2022. They also reiterated their commitment to a free and secure Indo-Pacific region.

The Quad, a strategic forum comprising India, Japan, Australia and the United States of America, held its first-ever head of states meet virtually on Friday.

In a jointly-authored opinion article for The Washington Post, US President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, wrote that "the Quad" was born in crisis. It became a diplomatic dialogue in 2007 and was reborn in 2017.

“Over the course of these past months, each of us has grieved the suffering that our people and the world have endured. But in this dark hour, our partnership offers a spark of hope to light the path ahead,” the leaders wrote in the joint Op-Ed published in the Washington Post.

"Against this backdrop, we are recommitting to a shared vision for an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, resilient and inclusive. We are striving to ensure that the Indo-Pacific is accessible and dynamic, governed by international law and bedrock principles such as freedom of navigation and peaceful resolution of disputes and that all countries are able to make their own political choices, free from coercion. In recent years, that vision has increasingly been tested," they added.

The article listed the announcements made on Friday, and much of what appeared in the joint statement and the fact sheet that were released after the summit.&nbsp;

The group also recalled the history of the grouping from being founded in the aftermath of the 2004 Tsunami and being turned into a dialogue in 2007 to being reborn in 2017.

The four leaders said that the trials have only strengthened "our resolve" to reckon with the most urgent of global challenges together.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/g7-meet-in-uk-could-witness-first-in-person-quad-meet-370276">Also read |&nbsp;G7 meet in UK could witness first in-person Quad meet</a>

"To strengthen our quest for a region that is open and free, we have agreed to partner to address the challenges presented by new technologies and collaborate to set the norms and standards that govern the innovations of the future. It is clear that climate change is both a strategic priority and an urgent global challenge, including for the Indo-Pacific region," the leaders' op-ed read further adding that the four countries would work together and with others to strengthen the Paris agreement and enhance the climate actions of all nations.

Launching the "ambitious efforts" to help end the Covid pandemic, the countries pledged "to expand and accelerate production" in India of safe, accessible and effective vaccines.

"We will partner at each stage to ensure that vaccines are administered throughout the Indo-Pacific region into 2022. We will combine our scientific ingenuity, financing, formidable productive capacity and long history of global-health partnership to surge the supply of life-saving vaccines, in close collaboration with multilateral organisations including the World Health Organisation and Covax Facility," the leaders wrote."We will renew and strengthen our partnerships in Southeast Asia, starting with the Association for Southeast Asian Nations, work with the Pacific Islands, and engage the Indian Ocean region to meet this moment.&nbsp;

"The Quad is a flexible group of like-minded partners dedicated to advancing a common vision and to ensuring peace and prosperity. We welcome and will seek opportunities to work with all of those who share in those goals," the article read.

The leaders stated that the four countries' foundations of democracy and a commitment to engagement "unite us".

"We know we can provide for the safety and prosperity of our people at home by confronting global crises together, with purpose and resolve. We summon from tragedy the strength and resilience to unify and overcome. And we recommit ourselves, once again, to an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, secure and prosperous," the leaders wrote.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/quad-member-countries-to-be-part-of-france-led-joint-exercises-370267">Also read |&nbsp;QUAD member countries to be part of France-led joint exercises</a>

Indo-Pacific region is largely viewed as an area comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea.China`s territorial claims in the South China Sea and its efforts to advance into the Indian Ocean are seen to have challenged the established rules-based system.

China claims much of the South China Sea, but there are also overlapping claims by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

China has built bases and other outposts on shoals, reefs and rock outcroppings to deepen its claim over 80 per cent of the 3.6 sq km waterway, with Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan claim parts of the same area. 
&nbsp;

The leaders of the Quad countries -- India, Australia, Japan and the United States -- have pledged to work with other countries who share the same goals, and to ensure that Covid vaccines are administered throughout the region till 2022.

The leaders of the Quad countries -- India, Australia, Japan and the United States -- have pledged to work with other countries who share the same goals, and to ensure that Covid vaccines are administered throughout the region till 2022. They also reiterated their commitment to a free and secure Indo-Pacific region. The Quad, a strategic forum comprising India, Japan, Australia and the United States of America, held its first-ever head of states meet virtually on Friday. In a jointly-authored opinion article for The Washington Post, US President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, wrote that "the Quad" was born in crisis. It became a diplomatic dialogue in 2007 and was reborn in 2017. “Over the course of these past months, each of us has grieved the suffering that our people and the world have endured. But in this dark hour, our partnership offers a spark of hope to light the path ahead,” the leaders wrote in the joint Op-Ed published in the Washington Post. "Against this backdrop, we are recommitting to a shared vision for an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, resilient and inclusive. We are striving to ensure that the Indo-Pacific is accessible and dynamic, governed by international law and bedrock principles such as freedom of navigation and peaceful resolution of disputes and that all countries are able to make their own political choices, free from coercion. In recent years, that vision has increasingly been tested," they added. The article listed the announcements made on Friday, and much of what appeared in the joint statement and the fact sheet that were released after the summit. The group also recalled the history of the grouping from being founded in the aftermath of the 2004 Tsunami and being turned into a dialogue in 2007 to being reborn in 2017. The four leaders said that the trials have only strengthened "our resolve" to reckon with the most urgent of global challenges together. Also read | G7 meet in UK could witness first in-person Quad meet "To strengthen our quest for a region that is open and free, we have agreed to partner to address the challenges presented by new technologies and collaborate to set the norms and standards that govern the innovations of the future. It is clear that climate change is both a strategic priority and an urgent global challenge, including for the Indo-Pacific region," the leaders' op-ed read further adding that the four countries would work together and with others to strengthen the Paris agreement and enhance the climate actions of all nations. Launching the "ambitious efforts" to help end the Covid pandemic, the countries pledged "to expand and accelerate production" in India of safe, accessible and effective vaccines. "We will partner at each stage to ensure that vaccines are administered throughout the Indo-Pacific region into 2022. We will combine our scientific ingenuity, financing, formidable productive capacity and long history of global-health partnership to surge the supply of life-saving vaccines, in close collaboration with multilateral organisations including the World Health Organisation and Covax Facility," the leaders wrote."We will renew and strengthen our partnerships in Southeast Asia, starting with the Association for Southeast Asian Nations, work with the Pacific Islands, and engage the Indian Ocean region to meet this moment. "The Quad is a flexible group of like-minded partners dedicated to advancing a common vision and to ensuring peace and prosperity. We welcome and will seek opportunities to work with all of those who share in those goals," the article read. The leaders stated that the four countries' foundations of democracy and a commitment to engagement "unite us". "We know we can provide for the safety and prosperity of our people at home by confronting global crises together, with purpose and resolve. We summon from tragedy the strength and resilience to unify and overcome. And we recommit ourselves, once again, to an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, secure and prosperous," the leaders wrote. Also read | QUAD member countries to be part of France-led joint exercises Indo-Pacific region is largely viewed as an area comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea.China`s territorial claims in the South China Sea and its efforts to advance into the Indian Ocean are seen to have challenged the established rules-based system. China claims much of the South China Sea, but there are also overlapping claims by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. China has built bases and other outposts on shoals, reefs and rock outcroppings to deepen its claim over 80 per cent of the 3.6 sq km waterway, with Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan claim parts of the same area.

Biden, Modi, Morrison and Suga pen joint op-ed, say Quad offers 'spark of hope'

After the first-ever summit of Quad leaders, it was decided that an in-person meeting will be held by the end of 2021.&nbsp;

"At the leader level, we will hold an in-person summit by the end of 2021," the joint statement released said on Friday.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-the-quads-gameplan-to-take-on-china-370080/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

It also said that the senior officials and experts of Quad, which is an alliance of India, the US, Japan, and Australia will "continue to meet regularly".

"Our foreign ministers will converse often and meet at least once a year," it said.&nbsp;

The statement also said that the first-ever summit reaffirmed their "commitment to quadrilateral cooperation" between the four countries. &nbsp;

HIGHLIGHTS: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/highlights-quad-leaders-reaffirm-commitment-to-grouping-after-historic-first-summit-369981">Quad leaders reaffirm commitment to grouping after historic first summit</a>

"We bring diverse perspectives and are united in a shared vision for the free and open Indo-Pacific. We strive for a region that is free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion."

It recalled that the Quad summit was a result of their joint efforts in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. &nbsp;

"Today, the global devastation wrought by Covid-19, the threat of climate change, and security challenges facing the region summon us with renewed purpose," the joint statement said.

After the first-ever summit of Quad leaders, it was decided that an in-person meeting will be held by the end of 2021. "At the leader level, we will hold an in-person summit by the end of 2021," the joint statement released said on Friday.

After the first-ever summit of Quad leaders, it was decided that an in-person meeting will be held by the end of 2021. "At the leader level, we will hold an in-person summit by the end of 2021," the joint statement released said on Friday. Watch | It also said that the senior officials and experts of Quad, which is an alliance of India, the US, Japan, and Australia will "continue to meet regularly". "Our foreign ministers will converse often and meet at least once a year," it said. The statement also said that the first-ever summit reaffirmed their "commitment to quadrilateral cooperation" between the four countries. HIGHLIGHTS: Quad leaders reaffirm commitment to grouping after historic first summit "We bring diverse perspectives and are united in a shared vision for the free and open Indo-Pacific. We strive for a region that is free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion." It recalled that the Quad summit was a result of their joint efforts in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. "Today, the global devastation wrought by Covid-19, the threat of climate change, and security challenges facing the region summon us with renewed purpose," the joint statement said.

Quad leaders agree for in-person meet in 2021

Everyone was in awe of the poem that the American writer Amanda Gorman read at the inauguration ceremony of US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden.</a>

Now, months after that much-applauded poem, the creation is back in headlines for the wrong reasons.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amanda-gorman-biden-inauguration-poet-says-security-guard-labelled-her-suspicious-368497">Amanda Gorman, Biden inauguration poet, says security guard labelled her 'suspicious'</a>

As per reports, the Catalan translator for the poem has been removed from the job because he had the wrong "profile".

"They told me that I am not suitable to translate it," Catalan translator Victor Obiols told news agency AFP. "They did not question my abilities, but they were looking for a different profile, which had to be a woman, young, activist and preferably black."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-how-amanda-gorman-overcame-speech-impediment-with-help-of-a-hamilton-song-358458">Also read | How Amanda Gorman overcame speech impediment with help of a 'Hamilton' song&nbsp;</a>

Obiols had received a request three weeks ago from Barcelona publisher Univers, asking to translate the reading of Gorman's "The Hill We Climb" with a foreword by the famous television show celebrity Oprah Winfrey.

However, after had finished, his publisher was informed that the US had backtracked from their word as he was "not the right person". He is, however, not sure if the rejection came from the original publisher or from Gorman's agent.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amanda-gorman-becomes-youngest-inaugural-poet-in-us-history-358151">Amanda Gorman becomes youngest inaugural poet in US history</a>

"It is a very complicated subject that cannot be treated with frivolity," said the translator who has earlier translater works of William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde.&nbsp;

"But if I cannot translate a poet because she is a woman, young, black, an American of the 21st century, neither can I translate Homer because I am not a Greek of the eighth century BC. Or could not have translated Shakespeare because I am nota 16th-century Englishman," he said.

He has been promised to be paid for the work he did, though, from the publisher.

Everyone was in awe of the poem that the American writer Amanda Gorman read at the inauguration ceremony of US President Joe Biden. Now, months after that much-applauded poem, the creation is back in headlines for the wrong reasons.

Everyone was in awe of the poem that the American writer Amanda Gorman read at the inauguration ceremony of US President Joe Biden. Now, months after that much-applauded poem, the creation is back in headlines for the wrong reasons. Also read | Amanda Gorman, Biden inauguration poet, says security guard labelled her 'suspicious' As per reports, the Catalan translator for the poem has been removed from the job because he had the wrong "profile". "They told me that I am not suitable to translate it," Catalan translator Victor Obiols told news agency AFP. "They did not question my abilities, but they were looking for a different profile, which had to be a woman, young, activist and preferably black." Also read | How Amanda Gorman overcame speech impediment with help of a 'Hamilton' song Obiols had received a request three weeks ago from Barcelona publisher Univers, asking to translate the reading of Gorman's "The Hill We Climb" with a foreword by the famous television show celebrity Oprah Winfrey. However, after had finished, his publisher was informed that the US had backtracked from their word as he was "not the right person". He is, however, not sure if the rejection came from the original publisher or from Gorman's agent. Also read | Amanda Gorman becomes youngest inaugural poet in US history "It is a very complicated subject that cannot be treated with frivolity," said the translator who has earlier translater works of William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde. "But if I cannot translate a poet because she is a woman, young, black, an American of the 21st century, neither can I translate Homer because I am not a Greek of the eighth century BC. Or could not have translated Shakespeare because I am nota 16th-century Englishman," he said. He has been promised to be paid for the work he did, though, from the publisher.

Catalan translator of Amanda Gorman's poem fired for not being of 'right profile'

U.S. President Joe Biden met leaders of Australia, India and Japan on Friday (March 12), a group central to his efforts to counter China's growing military and economic power, and said a free and open Indo-Pacific region was essential to all of their futures.

Biden says free Indo-Pacific essential as he meets India, Japan, Australia leaders

The Biden administration has said it is willing to reconsider the objections or adverse decisions to foreign workers on visas like H-1B due to the three policy memos by the previous Trump administration which now have been rescinded.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Friday announced "it may reopen and/or reconsider adverse decisions" on Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, made based on three rescinded policy memos.

USCIS will generally process motions based on filing order, and consistent with current policy guidance, the federal agency said.

USCIS said it would generally use its discretion to accept a motion to reopen filed more than 30 days after the decision, if filed before the end of the validity period requested on the petition or labour condition application, whichever is earlier, and the decision was based on one or more policies in the three rescinded H-1B memoranda.

On June 17, 2020, USCIS issued Policy Memorandum 602-0114, which officially rescinded two prior policy memoranda. First titled "Determining Employer-Employee Relationship for Adjudication of H-1B Petitions, Including Third-Party Site Placements," that was issued on January 8, 2010; and second "Contracts and Itineraries Requirements for H-1B Petitions Involving Third-Party Worksites," issued on February 22, 2018.

On February 3, 2021, the agency issued Policy Memorandum 602-0142.1, which officially rescinded PM-602-0142, "Rescission of the December 22, 2000 'Guidance memo on H1B computer related positions'," issued on March 31, 2017. Both Policy Memorandum 602-0114 and Policy Memorandum 602-0142.1 state that they apply to "any pending or new [H-1B Petitions], including motions on and appeals of revocations and denials of H-1B classification."

USCIS said a petitioner may request that it reopen and/or reconsider adverse decisions based on the three rescinded policy memos by properly filing Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion, accompanied by the appropriate fee.

In addition, USCIS has the discretionary authority to accept and consider untimely motions under certain circumstances as explained in the form instructions and permitted by regulation.

"Petitioners who received an adverse decision on an H-1B petition based on the now-rescinded policy memoranda should consider whether there is time remaining in the validity period requested on the previously filed H-1B petition and the relevant labour condition application," USCIS said.

(with inputs)

The Biden administration has said it is willing to reconsider the objections or adverse decisions to foreign workers on visas like H-1B due to the three policy memos by the previous Trump administration which now have been rescinded.

The Biden administration has said it is willing to reconsider the objections or adverse decisions to foreign workers on visas like H-1B due to the three policy memos by the previous Trump administration which now have been rescinded. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Friday announced "it may reopen and/or reconsider adverse decisions" on Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, made based on three rescinded policy memos. USCIS will generally process motions based on filing order, and consistent with current policy guidance, the federal agency said. USCIS said it would generally use its discretion to accept a motion to reopen filed more than 30 days after the decision, if filed before the end of the validity period requested on the petition or labour condition application, whichever is earlier, and the decision was based on one or more policies in the three rescinded H-1B memoranda. On June 17, 2020, USCIS issued Policy Memorandum 602-0114, which officially rescinded two prior policy memoranda. First titled "Determining Employer-Employee Relationship for Adjudication of H-1B Petitions, Including Third-Party Site Placements," that was issued on January 8, 2010; and second "Contracts and Itineraries Requirements for H-1B Petitions Involving Third-Party Worksites," issued on February 22, 2018. On February 3, 2021, the agency issued Policy Memorandum 602-0142.1, which officially rescinded PM-602-0142, "Rescission of the December 22, 2000 'Guidance memo on H1B computer related positions'," issued on March 31, 2017. Both Policy Memorandum 602-0114 and Policy Memorandum 602-0142.1 state that they apply to "any pending or new [H-1B Petitions], including motions on and appeals of revocations and denials of H-1B classification." USCIS said a petitioner may request that it reopen and/or reconsider adverse decisions based on the three rescinded policy memos by properly filing Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion, accompanied by the appropriate fee. In addition, USCIS has the discretionary authority to accept and consider untimely motions under certain circumstances as explained in the form instructions and permitted by regulation. "Petitioners who received an adverse decision on an H-1B petition based on the now-rescinded policy memoranda should consider whether there is time remaining in the validity period requested on the previously filed H-1B petition and the relevant labour condition application," USCIS said. (with inputs)

Biden admin to reconsider objections to H1B visas during Trump regime

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, under intense pressure to donate excess coronavirus vaccines to needy nations, moved Friday to address the global shortage in another way, partnering with Japan, India and Australia to expand global vaccine manufacturing capacity.

In a deal announced at the so-called Quad Summit, a virtual meeting of leaders of the four countries, the Biden administration committed to providing financial support to help Biological E, a major vaccine manufacturer in India, produce at least 1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines by the end of 2022.

That would address an acute vaccine shortage in Southeast Asia and beyond without risking domestic political blowback from exporting doses in the coming months, as Americans clamor for their shots.

The United States has fallen far behind China, India and Russia in the race to marshal coronavirus vaccines as an instrument of diplomacy. At the same time, Biden is facing accusations of vaccine hoarding from global health advocates who want his administration to channel supplies to needy nations that are desperate for access.

Insisting that Americans come first, the president has so far refused to make any concrete commitments to give away U.S.-made vaccines, even as tens of millions of doses of the vaccine made by the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca sit idly in U.S. manufacturing facilities.

“If we have a surplus, we’re going to share it with the rest of the world,” Biden said this week, adding, “We’re going to start off making sure Americans are taken care of first, but we’re then going to try and help the rest of the world.”

In fact, the president has a lot of work ahead of him domestically to make good on the promises he has made in recent days: that all states must make all adults eligible for vaccinations by May 1, that enough vaccine doses will exist by the end of May to inoculate every American adult, and that by July 4, if Americans continue to follow public health guidance, life should be returning to a semblance of normalcy.

Vaccine supply appears on track to fulfill those goals, but the president must still create the infrastructure to administer the doses and overcome reluctance in large sectors of the population to take them.

Still, Biden has also made restoring U.S. leadership a centerpiece of his foreign policy agenda after his predecessor frayed alliances and strained relationships with allies and global partners. His secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said in a recent BBC interview that a global vaccination campaign would be part of that effort; Washington, he said, was “determined” to be an “international leader” on vaccinations.

Foreign policy experts and global health activists see clear diplomatic, public health and humanitarian reasons for doing so.

“It’s time for U.S. leaders to ask themselves: When this pandemic is over, do we want the world to remember America’s leadership helping distribute lifesaving vaccines, or will we leave that to others?” said Tom Hart, the North America executive director of the One Campaign, a nonprofit founded by U2 singer Bono and dedicated to eradicating world poverty.

The federal government has purchased 453 million excess vaccine doses, the group says. It has called on the Biden administration to share 5% of its doses abroad when 20% of Americans have been vaccinated, and to gradually increase the percentage of shared doses as more Americans receive their vaccines.

As of Friday, 13.5% of people in the United States who are 18 or older have been fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The authoritarian governments of China and Russia, which are less buffeted by domestic public opinion, are already using vaccines to expand their spheres of influence. While the Biden administration plans its strategy to counter China’s growing global clout, Beijing is burnishing its image by shipping vaccines to dozens of countries on several continents, including in Africa, Latin America and particularly in its Southeast Asian backyard.

Russia has supplied vaccines to Eastern European nations, including Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, at a time when Biden officials want to keep the European Union unified against Russian influence on the continent.

“We may be outcompeted by others who are more willing to share, even if they’re doing it for cynical reasons,” said Ivo H. Daalder, a former NATO ambassador and the president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. “I think countries are going to remember who was there for us when we needed them.”

With worrisome and highly infectious new variants emerging in the United States and around the world, public health experts say vaccinating people overseas is also necessary to protect Americans.

“It has to be sold to Americans as an essential strategy to make Americans safe and secure over the long term, and it has to be sold to a highly divided, toxic America,” said J. Stephen Morrison, a global health expert at the Centers for Strategic and International Studies. “I don’t think that’s impossible. I think Americans are beginning to understand that in a world of variants, everything that happens outside our borders ups the urgency to move really fast.”

Blinken said as much to the BBC: “Until everyone in the world is vaccinated, then no one is really fully safe.”

The Quad Vaccine Partnership announced at the summit meeting on Friday involves different commitments from each of the nations, according to the White House.

Beyond assistance for the Indian vaccine manufacturer, the United States pledged at least $100 million to bolster vaccination capacity abroad and aid public health efforts. Japan, it said, is “in discussions” to provide loans for the Indian government to expand manufacturing of vaccines for export and will aid vaccination programs for developing countries. Australia will contribute $77 million to provide vaccines and delivery support with a focus on Southeast Asia.

The four countries will also form a Quad Vaccine Experts Group of top scientists and government officials who will work to address manufacturing hurdles and financing plans.

Morrison said the administration deserved “some credit” for the effort, adding, “It shows diplomatic ingenuity and speed.” But a spokesman for the One Campaign, which focuses on extreme poverty, said his group would still like to see a plan for the United States’ vaccine stockpile and noted that Africa had administered far fewer doses per capita than Asia.

Biden’s efforts to ramp up vaccine production have helped put the United States on track to produce as many as 1 billion doses by the end of the year — far more than necessary to vaccinate the roughly 260 million adults in the United States.

A deal the administration brokered to have the pharmaceutical giant Merck manufacture Johnson &amp;amp; Johnson’s one-dose vaccine, which the president celebrated at the White House on Wednesday, will help advance that goal. Also Wednesday, Biden directed federal health officials to secure an additional 100 million doses of Johnson &amp;amp; Johnson’s vaccine.

The administration has said those efforts are aimed at having enough vaccine for children, booster doses to confront new variants and unforeseen events. But Jeffrey Zients, Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator, told reporters Friday that the deal between Johnson &amp;amp; Johnson and Merck would also “help expand capacity and ultimately benefits the world.”

In addition to resisting a push to give away excess doses, Biden has drawn criticism from liberal Democrats by blocking a request by India and South Africa for a temporary waiver to an international intellectual property agreement that would give poorer countries easier access to generic versions of coronavirus vaccines and treatments.

“I understand why we should be prioritizing our supply with Americans — it was paid for by American taxpayers, President Biden is president of America,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, a liberal Democrat from California. “But there is no reason we have to prioritize the profits of pharmaceutical companies over the dignity of people in other countries.”

Biden recently announced a donation of $4 billion to Covax, the international vaccine initiative backed by the World Health Organization. David Bryden, the director of the Frontline Health Workers Coalition, a nonprofit aimed at supporting health workers in low- and middle-income countries, said money was also desperately needed to help train and pay those workers to administer vaccines overseas.

But that donation, and the announcement Friday of the Quad’s financial support for vaccine production, still falls short of the urgent calls by public health advocates for the United States to immediately supply ready-to-use doses that can quickly be injected.

The Quad’s focus on Southeast Asia, however, most likely reflects an awareness of the gratitude to China in the region, which Beijing has made a focus of its vaccine distribution efforts.

If Biden is widely seen as helping the world recover from the coronavirus pandemic, it could become part of his legacy, as when President George W. Bush responded to the AIDS crisis in Africa in the 2000s with a huge investment of public health funding. More than a decade later, Bush and the United States remain venerated across much of the continent for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which the government says spent $85 billion and saved 20 million lives.

Michael Gerson, a former White House speechwriter under Bush and a policy adviser who helped devise the PEPFAR program, said that its effect had been both moral and strategic, and that the program had earned the United States “a tremendous amount of goodwill” in Africa.

“I think the principle here should be that the people who need it most should get it no matter where they live,” he said. “It doesn’t make much moral sense to give a healthy American 24-year-old the vaccine before a front-line worker in Liberia.”

But, he added, “that’s very hard for an American politician to explain.”

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, under intense pressure to donate excess coronavirus vaccines to needy nations, moved Friday to address the global shortage in another way, partnering with Japan, India and Australia to expand global vaccine manufacturing capacity.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, under intense pressure to donate excess coronavirus vaccines to needy nations, moved Friday to address the global shortage in another way, partnering with Japan, India and Australia to expand global vaccine manufacturing capacity. In a deal announced at the so-called Quad Summit, a virtual meeting of leaders of the four countries, the Biden administration committed to providing financial support to help Biological E, a major vaccine manufacturer in India, produce at least 1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines by the end of 2022. That would address an acute vaccine shortage in Southeast Asia and beyond without risking domestic political blowback from exporting doses in the coming months, as Americans clamor for their shots. The United States has fallen far behind China, India and Russia in the race to marshal coronavirus vaccines as an instrument of diplomacy. At the same time, Biden is facing accusations of vaccine hoarding from global health advocates who want his administration to channel supplies to needy nations that are desperate for access. Insisting that Americans come first, the president has so far refused to make any concrete commitments to give away U.S.-made vaccines, even as tens of millions of doses of the vaccine made by the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca sit idly in U.S. manufacturing facilities. “If we have a surplus, we’re going to share it with the rest of the world,” Biden said this week, adding, “We’re going to start off making sure Americans are taken care of first, but we’re then going to try and help the rest of the world.” In fact, the president has a lot of work ahead of him domestically to make good on the promises he has made in recent days: that all states must make all adults eligible for vaccinations by May 1, that enough vaccine doses will exist by the end of May to inoculate every American adult, and that by July 4, if Americans continue to follow public health guidance, life should be returning to a semblance of normalcy. Vaccine supply appears on track to fulfill those goals, but the president must still create the infrastructure to administer the doses and overcome reluctance in large sectors of the population to take them. Still, Biden has also made restoring U.S. leadership a centerpiece of his foreign policy agenda after his predecessor frayed alliances and strained relationships with allies and global partners. His secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said in a recent BBC interview that a global vaccination campaign would be part of that effort; Washington, he said, was “determined” to be an “international leader” on vaccinations. Foreign policy experts and global health activists see clear diplomatic, public health and humanitarian reasons for doing so. “It’s time for U.S. leaders to ask themselves: When this pandemic is over, do we want the world to remember America’s leadership helping distribute lifesaving vaccines, or will we leave that to others?” said Tom Hart, the North America executive director of the One Campaign, a nonprofit founded by U2 singer Bono and dedicated to eradicating world poverty. The federal government has purchased 453 million excess vaccine doses, the group says. It has called on the Biden administration to share 5% of its doses abroad when 20% of Americans have been vaccinated, and to gradually increase the percentage of shared doses as more Americans receive their vaccines. As of Friday, 13.5% of people in the United States who are 18 or older have been fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The authoritarian governments of China and Russia, which are less buffeted by domestic public opinion, are already using vaccines to expand their spheres of influence. While the Biden administration plans its strategy to counter China’s growing global clout, Beijing is burnishing its image by shipping vaccines to dozens of countries on several continents, including in Africa, Latin America and particularly in its Southeast Asian backyard. Russia has supplied vaccines to Eastern European nations, including Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, at a time when Biden officials want to keep the European Union unified against Russian influence on the continent. “We may be outcompeted by others who are more willing to share, even if they’re doing it for cynical reasons,” said Ivo H. Daalder, a former NATO ambassador and the president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. “I think countries are going to remember who was there for us when we needed them.” With worrisome and highly infectious new variants emerging in the United States and around the world, public health experts say vaccinating people overseas is also necessary to protect Americans. “It has to be sold to Americans as an essential strategy to make Americans safe and secure over the long term, and it has to be sold to a highly divided, toxic America,” said J. Stephen Morrison, a global health expert at the Centers for Strategic and International Studies. “I don’t think that’s impossible. I think Americans are beginning to understand that in a world of variants, everything that happens outside our borders ups the urgency to move really fast.” Blinken said as much to the BBC: “Until everyone in the world is vaccinated, then no one is really fully safe.” The Quad Vaccine Partnership announced at the summit meeting on Friday involves different commitments from each of the nations, according to the White House. Beyond assistance for the Indian vaccine manufacturer, the United States pledged at least $100 million to bolster vaccination capacity abroad and aid public health efforts. Japan, it said, is “in discussions” to provide loans for the Indian government to expand manufacturing of vaccines for export and will aid vaccination programs for developing countries. Australia will contribute $77 million to provide vaccines and delivery support with a focus on Southeast Asia. The four countries will also form a Quad Vaccine Experts Group of top scientists and government officials who will work to address manufacturing hurdles and financing plans. Morrison said the administration deserved “some credit” for the effort, adding, “It shows diplomatic ingenuity and speed.” But a spokesman for the One Campaign, which focuses on extreme poverty, said his group would still like to see a plan for the United States’ vaccine stockpile and noted that Africa had administered far fewer doses per capita than Asia. Biden’s efforts to ramp up vaccine production have helped put the United States on track to produce as many as 1 billion doses by the end of the year — far more than necessary to vaccinate the roughly 260 million adults in the United States. A deal the administration brokered to have the pharmaceutical giant Merck manufacture Johnson &amp; Johnson’s one-dose vaccine, which the president celebrated at the White House on Wednesday, will help advance that goal. Also Wednesday, Biden directed federal health officials to secure an additional 100 million doses of Johnson &amp; Johnson’s vaccine. The administration has said those efforts are aimed at having enough vaccine for children, booster doses to confront new variants and unforeseen events. But Jeffrey Zients, Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator, told reporters Friday that the deal between Johnson &amp; Johnson and Merck would also “help expand capacity and ultimately benefits the world.” In addition to resisting a push to give away excess doses, Biden has drawn criticism from liberal Democrats by blocking a request by India and South Africa for a temporary waiver to an international intellectual property agreement that would give poorer countries easier access to generic versions of coronavirus vaccines and treatments. “I understand why we should be prioritizing our supply with Americans — it was paid for by American taxpayers, President Biden is president of America,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, a liberal Democrat from California. “But there is no reason we have to prioritize the profits of pharmaceutical companies over the dignity of people in other countries.” Biden recently announced a donation of $4 billion to Covax, the international vaccine initiative backed by the World Health Organization. David Bryden, the director of the Frontline Health Workers Coalition, a nonprofit aimed at supporting health workers in low- and middle-income countries, said money was also desperately needed to help train and pay those workers to administer vaccines overseas. But that donation, and the announcement Friday of the Quad’s financial support for vaccine production, still falls short of the urgent calls by public health advocates for the United States to immediately supply ready-to-use doses that can quickly be injected. The Quad’s focus on Southeast Asia, however, most likely reflects an awareness of the gratitude to China in the region, which Beijing has made a focus of its vaccine distribution efforts. If Biden is widely seen as helping the world recover from the coronavirus pandemic, it could become part of his legacy, as when President George W. Bush responded to the AIDS crisis in Africa in the 2000s with a huge investment of public health funding. More than a decade later, Bush and the United States remain venerated across much of the continent for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which the government says spent $85 billion and saved 20 million lives. Michael Gerson, a former White House speechwriter under Bush and a policy adviser who helped devise the PEPFAR program, said that its effect had been both moral and strategic, and that the program had earned the United States “a tremendous amount of goodwill” in Africa. “I think the principle here should be that the people who need it most should get it no matter where they live,” he said. “It doesn’t make much moral sense to give a healthy American 24-year-old the vaccine before a front-line worker in Liberia.” But, he added, “that’s very hard for an American politician to explain.”

Biden takes first tentative steps to address global vaccine shortage

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison joined with the leaders of the United States, Japan and India at a virtual summit on Saturday morning (March 13), pledging to work closely on COVID-19 vaccine distribution, climate issues and security.

'Quad' countries pledge cooperation on COVID, climate and security

It was long overdue, and has finally happened. The Quad met today for its first ever summit. 
&nbsp; 
This is an extremely significant geopolitical event. It will shape the strategic alliances of our world.

The Quad has four members: the United States, Australia,&nbsp;Japan and India. Leaders from all four countries came together for a virtual summit.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Before this, the highest level engagement was that of ministers. Foreign ministers of all four countries have met thrice in the last three&nbsp;years, twice in person and once virtually.

Each time, they failed to issue a joint statement. They came up with separate statements.&nbsp;And they spoke in different tones. This is the first time&nbsp;the Quad is trying to speak in one voice.

 
We'll decode the first ever Quad summit, what was discussed, what will be done next.

Will the quad become more than a talking shop? And what will this alliance mean for India?

We'll discuss all this and more. First, let's talk about what happened today.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The meeting was virtual.&nbsp;For US President Joe Biden, this was the first high level engagement since he assumed office in January. With him was Vice President Kamala Harris.&nbsp;The meeting was initiated by Washington. That should tell you how much importance the US Attaches to the Quad. &nbsp;

Other leaders in attendance were Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Quad has potential. What it lacked so far, is political will.

The alliance failed to spell out specific goals.&nbsp;Tonight, that wasn't the case. Even before the summit began, all four countries had a clear agenda.

Securing free and open access to Indo-Pacific, the supply of vaccines--a&nbsp;priority considering the pandemic-and&nbsp;resilient supply and production chains. The opening remarks touched upon these themes. The focus was the Indo-Pacific.

All four leaders made a mention of it, and for obvious reasons.

The last year&nbsp;saw China's military aggression in the region: The border standoff in Ladakh, the provocations in Taiwan and South China Sea and around the Senkaku Islands near Japan.

Earlier this week,&nbsp;we told you about America's military assessment on the Indo-Pacific. America's top commander called China "the greatest long-term strategic threat to security".

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about a free and open Indo-Pacific.&nbsp; And India's commitment to democratic values.&nbsp;&nbsp;

All Quad allies are robust democracies. Upholding a commitment to democracy is a clear message to China. The next issue was vaccines. China is trying to push its vaccines. Even though they're unreliable.&nbsp;&nbsp;

China says it will donate vaccines to 69 developing countries. And it is exporting vaccines to 43 countries. The Quad needs to balance the scales. Reports say it has planned financing agreements to boost manufacturing in India. Meaning they'll pour in money to make in India.

These are deals for drugmakers to make their shots in India. US President Joe Biden said vaccines will drive global growth this year.

The next issue is supply chains. Remember, China controls supply chains. The pandemic taught us why the world must diversify. The Quad today focused on the supply of rare earths. These four countries plan to build a rare earth procurement chain.

Rare earths are crucial elements. They build in practically everything we use today. And will use in the future. From smartphones to computers and batteries, rare earths are used in all. Right now, China produces nearly 60 per cent of the world's rare earths.

It controls the supply. Which means&nbsp;it can also dictate the international rules for future technologies.

The Quad wants to break the monopoly.&nbsp;So the tone is now set.

While the leaders didn't mention China, the three issues they picked up sent a clear message to Beijing:&nbsp;A free and open Indo-Pacific, vaccines, and&nbsp;global supply chains.

The Quad will confront China on all three fronts.

The timing of this Qad summit is significant. Top officials from the United States and China are meeting next week in Alaska. This is the first bilateral engagement of the Biden administration. The Quad has firmed up its alliance, just before those discussions.

And as we discuss the future of the Quad, we must also take some lessons from its past. The Quad has informally existed for 16 long years. But it has failed to go beyond being a talking shop.

Quad member nations have met in the past. They've made promises. Held naval exercises. But done little to achieve their core strategic purpose.&nbsp;Of containing China's influence in the Indo-Pacific.

How will it be different this time?

It emerged in 2004. It was formalised in 2007. It lay dormant for the next 10 years.&nbsp;Then it was revived in 2017. But it was in 2020 that the Quad arrived at a turning point.&nbsp;And in 2021, it assembled for the first time at the leader level. This historic gathering could change Asian geopolitics.

But does it intend to? The Quad has been toiling for the last 16 years. The principle aim of this body was strategic, to maintain the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.

But for 16 years,&nbsp;the Quad has failed to go beyond being a talking shop.&nbsp;Its promises did not translate into action on ground.

Will it be the same this time?&nbsp;Not really. Four clear and&nbsp;specific areas of cooperation have been identified this time. They will be at the centre of the Quad's future operations.

The first is maritime security and&nbsp;cooperation. Considerable headway was made in this area during the Trump administration. All four countries took part in the Malabar Exercise last year. This year, expanded cooperation involving the Quad and&nbsp;non-Quad members is on the cards.

Reports already indicate that France and the UAE will be joining hands with the Quad for naval exercises. This is being seen as a signal to China to adhere to international norms.

The second area of collaboration will be on covid-19 related issues. From the beginning of this pandemic, India's approach has been global. From rescuing foreign expats trapped in distant countries&nbsp;to nursing the world through its vaccine diplomacy, India has contributed immensely in the fight against Covid-19.

Reports say the Quad is looking to launch an expansive vaccine programme where vaccines will be developed in the US manufactured in India, financed by Japan and supported by Australia.

The cooperation will be stepped up to counter China's growing influence in countries hit hard by the pandemic.

The third area of cooperation is climate change. It has been gaining momentum in Joe Biden's domestic and&nbsp;foreign policy agenda.

This is one area where the Quad will try to corner China into delivering more. Working groups for climate change are expected to be announced soon.

The last area of economic and&nbsp;technological cooperation is of special significance. It indirectly recognises China as an economic and technological threat.

China, which produces 60% of the world's rare earths will see tough competition.

As the Quad joins hands to build a rare earth procurement chain and counter China's dominance,&nbsp;the Quad will also look to dent China's technological influence.

With investments in emerging and&nbsp;critical defence technologies,&nbsp;the Global Times has reported&nbsp;that the Quad could further contain Chinese tech giant Huawei. 
&nbsp; 
China will be the central theme of all of Quad's initiatives but the references are oblique. The leaders have met.

Will they put their money where their mouth is?&nbsp;

Is it just an anti-china coalition?

What does the quad mean for India?

Five things. One:&nbsp;a strategic win. Two: a boost to Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India).&nbsp;Three: a global leadership role. Four: pushing multilateralism.&nbsp;And five:&nbsp;it will help India become a blue economy.

We'll take these one by one.&nbsp;First, it's a step towards India's strategic goals.

India wants a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.&nbsp;India looks at the Indo-Pacific as a single, strategic construct.&nbsp;

What is the Indo-Pacific?&nbsp;The region linking the waters of the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

In the Quad, India gets a grouping of like-minded nations. A group that is ready to defend the laws of high seas.&nbsp;Second, the Quad will help India rebuild its supply chains, reduce the dependence on China.

Consider this: all the Quad members have one thing in common. They disagree with Chinese military aggression. But no Quad member&nbsp;has been able to drag China to court for militarising the South China Sea.

You know who went to court?&nbsp;The Philippines. Not Japan, not even Australia. Neither the US,&nbsp;nor India. &nbsp;

Why?&nbsp;Because all these countries, like the rest of the world, rely heavily on China for trade.

And that's dangerous. China can weaponise trade. The pandemic has shown us how. China can weaponise essential drugs, medical equipment, ventilators. So the world wants to break away from China.

India wants to be self-reliant. The Quad can enable that. Third, the Quad is an opportunity for India to shape the emerging world order. And this can only be done with the help of strategic relations. Quad is India's opportunity for cementing ties with the world's most prominent democracies. The US already acknowledges India as a 'major defence partner'.

In 2016, India and the US signed LE MoA,&nbsp;or the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement.&nbsp;In 2020, an American military aircraft refuelled at India's strategic base in Andaman and Nicobar islands for the first time.

India has also signed an agreement with Australia on mutual logistics support. The Quad takes these strategic ties a step further.

Fourth: the Quad is India's opportunity to push for multilateralism. Quad meetings have recently been attended by three more Indo-Pacific countries.

New Zealand, South Korea and Vietnam.

Countries like New Zealand&nbsp;have long been reluctant to be perceived as anti-China. The pandemic has changed that. The strengthening, expansion and distribution of power works in favour of India.

Fifth:&nbsp;Quad is also a step towards India's dream of becoming a blue economy.

India is accelerating efforts in that direction.&nbsp;Be it cargo, or commerce. India recently hosted a virtual maritime summit. It is improving port facilities at home, developing strategic ports abroad, be it the Chabahar in Iran&nbsp;or the Kaladan project in Myanmar. India is also modernising facilities in the Andaman islands.&nbsp;A plan worth 56.5 billion rupees was finalised in 2019.

It allows for additional warships, troops, aircraft and drones to be stationed in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. India has also commissioned a new naval station- INS&nbsp;Kohassa in the islands.

India wants to be a top maritime economy. But it won't be possible without the cooperation of other maritime powers. This is where the Quad becomes very crucial.

Finally... China.

There is of course, the &nbsp;need to counter China. Its hard and soft powers.

There is no denying it's China's actions that have brought the Quad closer. The militarising of islands in South China Sea, the creating of artificial ones, the exporting of the Wuhan virus, China's muscle flexing in Ladakh, the death of 20 Indian soldiers.

Chinese aggression against Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia,&nbsp;China's quashing of Hong Kong's autonomy.

 
The list is long.&nbsp;It took all of these&nbsp;to finally get the four countries to hold joint military exercises, the 2020 Malabar Exercises. They say nothing makes friends like a common enemy. China is of course the binding factor of the Quad. But for India, the Quad is much more than&nbsp;just China.

It was long overdue, and has finally happened. The Quad met today for its first ever summit. This is an extremely significant geopolitical event. It will shape the strategic alliances of our world.

It was long overdue, and has finally happened. The Quad met today for its first ever summit. This is an extremely significant geopolitical event. It will shape the strategic alliances of our world. The Quad has four members: the United States, Australia, Japan and India. Leaders from all four countries came together for a virtual summit. Before this, the highest level engagement was that of ministers. Foreign ministers of all four countries have met thrice in the last three years, twice in person and once virtually. Each time, they failed to issue a joint statement. They came up with separate statements. And they spoke in different tones. This is the first time the Quad is trying to speak in one voice. We'll decode the first ever Quad summit, what was discussed, what will be done next. Will the quad become more than a talking shop? And what will this alliance mean for India? We'll discuss all this and more. First, let's talk about what happened today. The meeting was virtual. For US President Joe Biden, this was the first high level engagement since he assumed office in January. With him was Vice President Kamala Harris. The meeting was initiated by Washington. That should tell you how much importance the US Attaches to the Quad. Other leaders in attendance were Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Quad has potential. What it lacked so far, is political will. The alliance failed to spell out specific goals. Tonight, that wasn't the case. Even before the summit began, all four countries had a clear agenda. Securing free and open access to Indo-Pacific, the supply of vaccines--a priority considering the pandemic-and resilient supply and production chains. The opening remarks touched upon these themes. The focus was the Indo-Pacific. All four leaders made a mention of it, and for obvious reasons. The last year saw China's military aggression in the region: The border standoff in Ladakh, the provocations in Taiwan and South China Sea and around the Senkaku Islands near Japan. Earlier this week, we told you about America's military assessment on the Indo-Pacific. America's top commander called China "the greatest long-term strategic threat to security". India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about a free and open Indo-Pacific. And India's commitment to democratic values. All Quad allies are robust democracies. Upholding a commitment to democracy is a clear message to China. The next issue was vaccines. China is trying to push its vaccines. Even though they're unreliable. China says it will donate vaccines to 69 developing countries. And it is exporting vaccines to 43 countries. The Quad needs to balance the scales. Reports say it has planned financing agreements to boost manufacturing in India. Meaning they'll pour in money to make in India. These are deals for drugmakers to make their shots in India. US President Joe Biden said vaccines will drive global growth this year. The next issue is supply chains. Remember, China controls supply chains. The pandemic taught us why the world must diversify. The Quad today focused on the supply of rare earths. These four countries plan to build a rare earth procurement chain. Rare earths are crucial elements. They build in practically everything we use today. And will use in the future. From smartphones to computers and batteries, rare earths are used in all. Right now, China produces nearly 60 per cent of the world's rare earths. It controls the supply. Which means it can also dictate the international rules for future technologies. The Quad wants to break the monopoly. So the tone is now set. While the leaders didn't mention China, the three issues they picked up sent a clear message to Beijing: A free and open Indo-Pacific, vaccines, and global supply chains. The Quad will confront China on all three fronts. The timing of this Qad summit is significant. Top officials from the United States and China are meeting next week in Alaska. This is the first bilateral engagement of the Biden administration. The Quad has firmed up its alliance, just before those discussions. And as we discuss the future of the Quad, we must also take some lessons from its past. The Quad has informally existed for 16 long years. But it has failed to go beyond being a talking shop. Quad member nations have met in the past. They've made promises. Held naval exercises. But done little to achieve their core strategic purpose. Of containing China's influence in the Indo-Pacific. How will it be different this time? It emerged in 2004. It was formalised in 2007. It lay dormant for the next 10 years. Then it was revived in 2017. But it was in 2020 that the Quad arrived at a turning point. And in 2021, it assembled for the first time at the leader level. This historic gathering could change Asian geopolitics. But does it intend to? The Quad has been toiling for the last 16 years. The principle aim of this body was strategic, to maintain the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. But for 16 years, the Quad has failed to go beyond being a talking shop. Its promises did not translate into action on ground. Will it be the same this time? Not really. Four clear and specific areas of cooperation have been identified this time. They will be at the centre of the Quad's future operations. The first is maritime security and cooperation. Considerable headway was made in this area during the Trump administration. All four countries took part in the Malabar Exercise last year. This year, expanded cooperation involving the Quad and non-Quad members is on the cards. Reports already indicate that France and the UAE will be joining hands with the Quad for naval exercises. This is being seen as a signal to China to adhere to international norms. The second area of collaboration will be on covid-19 related issues. From the beginning of this pandemic, India's approach has been global. From rescuing foreign expats trapped in distant countries to nursing the world through its vaccine diplomacy, India has contributed immensely in the fight against Covid-19. Reports say the Quad is looking to launch an expansive vaccine programme where vaccines will be developed in the US manufactured in India, financed by Japan and supported by Australia. The cooperation will be stepped up to counter China's growing influence in countries hit hard by the pandemic. The third area of cooperation is climate change. It has been gaining momentum in Joe Biden's domestic and foreign policy agenda. This is one area where the Quad will try to corner China into delivering more. Working groups for climate change are expected to be announced soon. The last area of economic and technological cooperation is of special significance. It indirectly recognises China as an economic and technological threat. China, which produces 60% of the world's rare earths will see tough competition. As the Quad joins hands to build a rare earth procurement chain and counter China's dominance, the Quad will also look to dent China's technological influence. With investments in emerging and critical defence technologies, the Global Times has reported that the Quad could further contain Chinese tech giant Huawei. China will be the central theme of all of Quad's initiatives but the references are oblique. The leaders have met. Will they put their money where their mouth is? Is it just an anti-china coalition? What does the quad mean for India? Five things. One: a strategic win. Two: a boost to Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India). Three: a global leadership role. Four: pushing multilateralism. And five: it will help India become a blue economy. We'll take these one by one. First, it's a step towards India's strategic goals. India wants a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. India looks at the Indo-Pacific as a single, strategic construct. What is the Indo-Pacific? The region linking the waters of the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean. In the Quad, India gets a grouping of like-minded nations. A group that is ready to defend the laws of high seas. Second, the Quad will help India rebuild its supply chains, reduce the dependence on China. Consider this: all the Quad members have one thing in common. They disagree with Chinese military aggression. But no Quad member has been able to drag China to court for militarising the South China Sea. You know who went to court? The Philippines. Not Japan, not even Australia. Neither the US, nor India. Why? Because all these countries, like the rest of the world, rely heavily on China for trade. And that's dangerous. China can weaponise trade. The pandemic has shown us how. China can weaponise essential drugs, medical equipment, ventilators. So the world wants to break away from China. India wants to be self-reliant. The Quad can enable that. Third, the Quad is an opportunity for India to shape the emerging world order. And this can only be done with the help of strategic relations. Quad is India's opportunity for cementing ties with the world's most prominent democracies. The US already acknowledges India as a 'major defence partner'. In 2016, India and the US signed LE MoA, or the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement. In 2020, an American military aircraft refuelled at India's strategic base in Andaman and Nicobar islands for the first time. India has also signed an agreement with Australia on mutual logistics support. The Quad takes these strategic ties a step further. Fourth: the Quad is India's opportunity to push for multilateralism. Quad meetings have recently been attended by three more Indo-Pacific countries. New Zealand, South Korea and Vietnam. Countries like New Zealand have long been reluctant to be perceived as anti-China. The pandemic has changed that. The strengthening, expansion and distribution of power works in favour of India. Fifth: Quad is also a step towards India's dream of becoming a blue economy. India is accelerating efforts in that direction. Be it cargo, or commerce. India recently hosted a virtual maritime summit. It is improving port facilities at home, developing strategic ports abroad, be it the Chabahar in Iran or the Kaladan project in Myanmar. India is also modernising facilities in the Andaman islands. A plan worth 56.5 billion rupees was finalised in 2019. It allows for additional warships, troops, aircraft and drones to be stationed in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. India has also commissioned a new naval station- INS Kohassa in the islands. India wants to be a top maritime economy. But it won't be possible without the cooperation of other maritime powers. This is where the Quad becomes very crucial. Finally... China. There is of course, the need to counter China. Its hard and soft powers. There is no denying it's China's actions that have brought the Quad closer. The militarising of islands in South China Sea, the creating of artificial ones, the exporting of the Wuhan virus, China's muscle flexing in Ladakh, the death of 20 Indian soldiers. Chinese aggression against Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia, China's quashing of Hong Kong's autonomy. The list is long. It took all of these to finally get the four countries to hold joint military exercises, the 2020 Malabar Exercises. They say nothing makes friends like a common enemy. China is of course the binding factor of the Quad. But for India, the Quad is much more than just China.

Quad leaders hold much-awaited summit, but what is different now?

A US group on Thursday opposed the move of the Biden administration to reverse some decisions of the previous Trump administration with regard to H-1B visas, in particular going back to the lottery system for allocation of this most sought-after work visa for foreign technology professionals.

The rule, Modification of Registration Requirement for Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions, requires that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) prioritise the higher-paid and higher-skilled foreign workers for H-1B cap-subject visas, thus ensuring US businesses have access to the best pool of foreign workers, while also discouraging wage suppression and creating unfair competition to American workers.

In its comment submitted to the Department of Homeland Security, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) asserted that the implementation of the Trump administration rule would reduce abuse of the H-1B program by unscrupulous employers while also protecting American workers.

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group.

"FAIR strongly supports the substance of the final rule and urges DHS to implement the rule without delay. As DHS has reiterated throughout the rulemaking process, prioritising wage levels in the registration selection process incentivises employers to offer higher wages, or to petition for positions requiring higher skills and higher-skilled aliens that are commensurate with higher wage levels, to increase the likelihood of selection for an eventual petition," the comments note.

"President (Joe) Biden often portrays himself as a man from the 'working class' who is a tireless defender of the American worker," said FAIR president Dan Stein.

"Yet his administration is set to postpone, by at least a year, an important rule change that prevents unscrupulous employers from using the H-1B program to undercut American wages while ensuring that companies that truly need skilled foreign workers have access to the best and the brightest," he alleged.

Current DHS policies require USCIS to select registrations on a purely random basis, utilizing a lottery system, when demand for H-1B visas exceeds the numerical limit set by statute, note the comments.

"This random lottery selection process places no weight on wage or skill levels and fails to ensure businesses actually have access to the best and brightest workers possible. Worse, the lottery creates a scenario where American workers could be replaced by foreign workers who can be paid significantly less or who possess considerably lower skills," said Stein.

FAIR strongly urged DHS to implement these critical reforms without undue delay.

"This final rule will allow DHS to more effectively protect US workers against competition from foreign labor at a time when US workers need protection more than ever. The acute fiscal harm that US workers are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic will only be exacerbated if employers are encouraged to continue to underpay H-1B beneficiaries because of an outdated and illogical current wage structure," it said.&nbsp;

A US group on Thursday opposed the move of the Biden administration to reverse some decisions of the previous Trump administration with regard to H-1B visas, in particular going back to the lottery system for allocation of this most sought-after work visa for foreign technology professionals.

A US group on Thursday opposed the move of the Biden administration to reverse some decisions of the previous Trump administration with regard to H-1B visas, in particular going back to the lottery system for allocation of this most sought-after work visa for foreign technology professionals. The rule, Modification of Registration Requirement for Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions, requires that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) prioritise the higher-paid and higher-skilled foreign workers for H-1B cap-subject visas, thus ensuring US businesses have access to the best pool of foreign workers, while also discouraging wage suppression and creating unfair competition to American workers. In its comment submitted to the Department of Homeland Security, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) asserted that the implementation of the Trump administration rule would reduce abuse of the H-1B program by unscrupulous employers while also protecting American workers. Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. "FAIR strongly supports the substance of the final rule and urges DHS to implement the rule without delay. As DHS has reiterated throughout the rulemaking process, prioritising wage levels in the registration selection process incentivises employers to offer higher wages, or to petition for positions requiring higher skills and higher-skilled aliens that are commensurate with higher wage levels, to increase the likelihood of selection for an eventual petition," the comments note. "President (Joe) Biden often portrays himself as a man from the 'working class' who is a tireless defender of the American worker," said FAIR president Dan Stein. "Yet his administration is set to postpone, by at least a year, an important rule change that prevents unscrupulous employers from using the H-1B program to undercut American wages while ensuring that companies that truly need skilled foreign workers have access to the best and the brightest," he alleged. Current DHS policies require USCIS to select registrations on a purely random basis, utilizing a lottery system, when demand for H-1B visas exceeds the numerical limit set by statute, note the comments. "This random lottery selection process places no weight on wage or skill levels and fails to ensure businesses actually have access to the best and brightest workers possible. Worse, the lottery creates a scenario where American workers could be replaced by foreign workers who can be paid significantly less or who possess considerably lower skills," said Stein. FAIR strongly urged DHS to implement these critical reforms without undue delay. "This final rule will allow DHS to more effectively protect US workers against competition from foreign labor at a time when US workers need protection more than ever. The acute fiscal harm that US workers are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic will only be exacerbated if employers are encouraged to continue to underpay H-1B beneficiaries because of an outdated and illogical current wage structure," it said.

US group opposes Biden administration's steps on H1B visas

US President Joe Biden has said his administration is taking aggressive action to speed Covid vaccinations and move the country closer to normality by July 4. He added&nbsp;he would direct&nbsp;states to make all adults eligible for the coronavirus vaccine by May 1.

His televised address on Thursday came hours after signing his $1.9 trillion stimulus bill into law -- his first major win in office some 50 days into his administration.

Biden signed the measure, designed to bring relief to Americans and boost the economy, with Vice-President Kamala Harris at his side in the Oval Office.

Biden warned Americans not to relent in the fight to defeat Covid-19, saying it was "far from over," while offering hope for brighter days to come as virus cases wane and vaccinations accelerate.

"This fight is far from over," Biden said in his first primetime address to the nation. "This is not the time to let up."

He urged Americans to get vaccinated and to continue to follow social distancing rules and wear face masks, adding that ultimately, "history will record that we faced and overcame one of the toughest and darkest periods in this nation's history."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-plans-messaging-blitz-to-sell-economic-aid-plan-369791">Also read |&nbsp;Biden plans messaging blitz to sell economic aid plan</a>

Biden, who campaigned on a promise to curb the pandemic more effectively than his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, has told Americans since his January inauguration that more deaths and pain were coming from COVID-19.

As the vaccinated population slowly increases, Biden is conveying fresh hope even as he urges people to remain cautious to prevent further flare-ups. 
Biden said on Wednesday he would use his address to discuss "what we`ve been through as a nation this past year" and lay out the next phase of the government`s COVID-19 response.

Biden's signing of the legislation, which passed without a single Republican vote, had initially been scheduled for Friday, but White House chief of staff Ron Klain said it was moved up after it arrived at the White House on Wednesday night.

The package provides $400 billion for $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, $350 billion in aid to state and local governments, an expansion of the child tax credit and increased funding for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Republicans complained the price tag was too steep.

Biden says the package&nbsp;will give poorer families a "fighting chance" and help fire up the engines of the world's biggest economy, something the IMF said Thursday could also help ignite global recovery.

The president said in his speech that the plan "meets the moment" and "if it fails at any point, I will acknowledge that it failed -- but it will not."

"There is light and better days ahead," he said.

The “first wave” of checks are set to go out as early as this weekend, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, CNBC reported. Psaki added that payments to every eligible American will continue through the next few weeks.

Delivering an emotional tribute to the more than 530,000 Americans who have died from Covid-19 over the last 12 months, Biden said "While it was different for everyone, we all lost something: a collective suffering, a collective sacrifice."

But he raised hope that the country hardest hit by the global pandemic could overcome the virus if Americans work together and follow health experts' guidelines on wearing masks and getting vaccinated.

"Just as we are emerging from a dark winter into a hopeful spring and summer is not the time to not stick with the rules," he said.

If Americans stay the course, they may be able to mark their cherished July 4th national holiday in somewhat normal circumstances, he said.

"If we do this together, by July the 4th, there's a good chance you, your families and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout or a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day," he said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/with-an-eye-on-china-biden-to-hold-first-summit-with-india-australia-japan-369834">Also read |&nbsp;With an eye on China, Biden to hold first summit with India, Australia, Japan</a>

"That will make this Independence Day something truly special where we not only mark our independence as a nation but we begin to mark our independence from this virus."

The United States leads the world in Covid-19 deaths, but it is now surging ahead of European countries and Canada with vaccine production and distribution.

Biden said his initial goal of one million vaccinations administered every day was already being easily surpassed and he planned for the authorities to be "maintaining, beating our current pace of two million shots a day."

To reinforce that huge effort, Biden said he was ordering every state in the country to remove priority group restrictions by May 1, thereby allowing any adult regardless of age or other conditions to be vaccinated.

The Democrat's bid to get the country back on its feet received a huge boost this week when Congress passed his $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package dubbed the American Rescue Plan.

Biden says this will give poorer families a "fighting chance" and help fire up the engines of the world's biggest economy, something the IMF said Thursday could also help ignite global recovery.

The president said in his speech that the plan "meets the moment" and "if it fails at any point, I will acknowledge that it failed -- but it will not."

"There is light and better days ahead," he said.

ATTACKS ON ASIAN AMERICAN DURING PANDEMIC

Biden condemned what he called "vicious hate crimes" committed against Asian Americans since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, calling such acts "un-American" and demanding they stop.

"Too often, we've turned against one another," Biden said in his first primetime address, detailing the progress made in the fight against Covid-19.

The Democratic president decried "vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans who have been attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated" over the pandemic, which originated in China.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/americans-will-be-first-to-get-vaccines-biden-says-369569">Also read |&nbsp;Americans will be first to get vaccines, Biden says</a>

"At this very moment, so many of them, our fellow Americans -- they're on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives and still, still they're forced to live in fear for their&nbsp;lives just walking down streets in America," Biden said.

"It's wrong. It's un-American. And it must stop."

Activists say broader anti-Asian discrimination has been fuelled by talk of the "Chinese virus" from former president Donald Trump and others.

Racial motivation is hard to establish in many cases, but reported anti-Asian hate crimes more than doubled from 49 to 122 last year across 16 major US cities including New York and Los Angeles -- even as overall hate crime fell, according to a California State University study.

(with inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden has said his administration is taking aggressive action to speed Covid vaccinations and move the country closer to normality by July 4. He added he would direct states to make all adults eligible for the coronavirus vaccine by May 1.

US President Joe Biden has said his administration is taking aggressive action to speed Covid vaccinations and move the country closer to normality by July 4. He added he would direct states to make all adults eligible for the coronavirus vaccine by May 1. His televised address on Thursday came hours after signing his $1.9 trillion stimulus bill into law -- his first major win in office some 50 days into his administration. Biden signed the measure, designed to bring relief to Americans and boost the economy, with Vice-President Kamala Harris at his side in the Oval Office. Biden warned Americans not to relent in the fight to defeat Covid-19, saying it was "far from over," while offering hope for brighter days to come as virus cases wane and vaccinations accelerate. "This fight is far from over," Biden said in his first primetime address to the nation. "This is not the time to let up." He urged Americans to get vaccinated and to continue to follow social distancing rules and wear face masks, adding that ultimately, "history will record that we faced and overcame one of the toughest and darkest periods in this nation's history." Also read | Biden plans messaging blitz to sell economic aid plan Biden, who campaigned on a promise to curb the pandemic more effectively than his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, has told Americans since his January inauguration that more deaths and pain were coming from COVID-19. As the vaccinated population slowly increases, Biden is conveying fresh hope even as he urges people to remain cautious to prevent further flare-ups. Biden said on Wednesday he would use his address to discuss "what we`ve been through as a nation this past year" and lay out the next phase of the government`s COVID-19 response. Biden's signing of the legislation, which passed without a single Republican vote, had initially been scheduled for Friday, but White House chief of staff Ron Klain said it was moved up after it arrived at the White House on Wednesday night. The package provides $400 billion for $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, $350 billion in aid to state and local governments, an expansion of the child tax credit and increased funding for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Republicans complained the price tag was too steep. Biden says the package will give poorer families a "fighting chance" and help fire up the engines of the world's biggest economy, something the IMF said Thursday could also help ignite global recovery. The president said in his speech that the plan "meets the moment" and "if it fails at any point, I will acknowledge that it failed -- but it will not." "There is light and better days ahead," he said. The “first wave” of checks are set to go out as early as this weekend, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, CNBC reported. Psaki added that payments to every eligible American will continue through the next few weeks. Delivering an emotional tribute to the more than 530,000 Americans who have died from Covid-19 over the last 12 months, Biden said "While it was different for everyone, we all lost something: a collective suffering, a collective sacrifice." But he raised hope that the country hardest hit by the global pandemic could overcome the virus if Americans work together and follow health experts' guidelines on wearing masks and getting vaccinated. "Just as we are emerging from a dark winter into a hopeful spring and summer is not the time to not stick with the rules," he said. If Americans stay the course, they may be able to mark their cherished July 4th national holiday in somewhat normal circumstances, he said. "If we do this together, by July the 4th, there's a good chance you, your families and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout or a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day," he said. Also read | With an eye on China, Biden to hold first summit with India, Australia, Japan "That will make this Independence Day something truly special where we not only mark our independence as a nation but we begin to mark our independence from this virus." The United States leads the world in Covid-19 deaths, but it is now surging ahead of European countries and Canada with vaccine production and distribution. Biden said his initial goal of one million vaccinations administered every day was already being easily surpassed and he planned for the authorities to be "maintaining, beating our current pace of two million shots a day." To reinforce that huge effort, Biden said he was ordering every state in the country to remove priority group restrictions by May 1, thereby allowing any adult regardless of age or other conditions to be vaccinated. The Democrat's bid to get the country back on its feet received a huge boost this week when Congress passed his $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package dubbed the American Rescue Plan. Biden says this will give poorer families a "fighting chance" and help fire up the engines of the world's biggest economy, something the IMF said Thursday could also help ignite global recovery. The president said in his speech that the plan "meets the moment" and "if it fails at any point, I will acknowledge that it failed -- but it will not." "There is light and better days ahead," he said. ATTACKS ON ASIAN AMERICAN DURING PANDEMIC Biden condemned what he called "vicious hate crimes" committed against Asian Americans since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, calling such acts "un-American" and demanding they stop. "Too often, we've turned against one another," Biden said in his first primetime address, detailing the progress made in the fight against Covid-19. The Democratic president decried "vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans who have been attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated" over the pandemic, which originated in China. Also read | Americans will be first to get vaccines, Biden says "At this very moment, so many of them, our fellow Americans -- they're on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives and still, still they're forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America," Biden said. "It's wrong. It's un-American. And it must stop." Activists say broader anti-Asian discrimination has been fuelled by talk of the "Chinese virus" from former president Donald Trump and others. Racial motivation is hard to establish in many cases, but reported anti-Asian hate crimes more than doubled from 49 to 122 last year across 16 major US cities including New York and Los Angeles -- even as overall hate crime fell, according to a California State University study. (with inputs from agencies)

Biden eyes next stage of Covid-19 fight, slams attacks on Asian-Americans during pandemic

US President Joe Biden on Friday will hold the first-ever four-way summit with the leaders of India, Australia, and Japan -- in order to cement alliances as concerns grow over a rising China.

Friday's four-way summit, while virtual, will mark the first time that leaders of the United States, Japan, India and Australia have met together following more than a decade of meetings at lower levels of the so-called "Quad."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison, and Japanese PM&nbsp;Yoshihide Suga will meet virtually at 7 pm IST.

India's Ministry of External Affairs said the summit "will provide an opportunity to exchange views on contemporary challenges such as resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security&nbsp;and climate change."

The summit comes at a time that all four democracies see relations deteriorate with China, which in the past year engaged in a deadly clash with Indian forces in the Himalayas, has stepped up activity near islands administered by Japan and has imposed sanctions on Australian products following a series of disputes.

The Biden administration, however, has been careful not to link the Quad explicitly to China -- a shift in rhetoric after former president Donald Trump's strident denunciations of Beijing.

In strategic guidance released earlier this month, the White House cast China as the top challenger and said the United States can help counter Beijing's "aggression" by "bolstering and defending our unparalleled network of allies and partners."

Blinken has said he will press concerns with Chinese officials on trade and human rights including sweeping new curbs on Hong Kong's elections and the mass incarceration of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities, a policy that both Biden and Trump have described as genocide.

China's state-run Global Times newspaper criticised the Quad summit as a US plot against Beijing, saying in an opinion piece that India -- which has rapidly warming relations with the United States but is not a treaty-bound ally -- should have taken a distance.

"The Quad is not an alliance of like-minded countries as the US claims," the newspaper said, opining that the three other nations face "the embarrassment of being between the pressure from the US and their own interests with China."

But the three other nations have voiced enthusiasm over the summit and said they hoped to discuss Covid-19 and climate change, two key priorities for Biden.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the talks "an historic moment in our region" while India said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would promote "a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region."

Japan announced that Prime Minister&nbsp;Suga will become the first foreign leader to see Biden in person, a sign of the primacy the new US leader attaches to allies.

In Tokyo, top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said that Suga will visit the White House "as early as the first half of April" if conditions allow.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/first-ever-quad-summit-to-focus-on-indo-pacific-covid-vaccines-369800">Also read |&nbsp;First-ever Quad summit to focus on Indo-Pacific, Covid vaccines</a>

(with inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden on Friday will hold the first-ever four-way summit with the leaders of India, Australia, and Japan -- in order to cement alliances as concerns grow over a rising China.

US President Joe Biden on Friday will hold the first-ever four-way summit with the leaders of India, Australia, and Japan -- in order to cement alliances as concerns grow over a rising China. Friday's four-way summit, while virtual, will mark the first time that leaders of the United States, Japan, India and Australia have met together following more than a decade of meetings at lower levels of the so-called "Quad." Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison, and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga will meet virtually at 7 pm IST. India's Ministry of External Affairs said the summit "will provide an opportunity to exchange views on contemporary challenges such as resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security and climate change." The summit comes at a time that all four democracies see relations deteriorate with China, which in the past year engaged in a deadly clash with Indian forces in the Himalayas, has stepped up activity near islands administered by Japan and has imposed sanctions on Australian products following a series of disputes. The Biden administration, however, has been careful not to link the Quad explicitly to China -- a shift in rhetoric after former president Donald Trump's strident denunciations of Beijing. In strategic guidance released earlier this month, the White House cast China as the top challenger and said the United States can help counter Beijing's "aggression" by "bolstering and defending our unparalleled network of allies and partners." Blinken has said he will press concerns with Chinese officials on trade and human rights including sweeping new curbs on Hong Kong's elections and the mass incarceration of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities, a policy that both Biden and Trump have described as genocide. China's state-run Global Times newspaper criticised the Quad summit as a US plot against Beijing, saying in an opinion piece that India -- which has rapidly warming relations with the United States but is not a treaty-bound ally -- should have taken a distance. "The Quad is not an alliance of like-minded countries as the US claims," the newspaper said, opining that the three other nations face "the embarrassment of being between the pressure from the US and their own interests with China." But the three other nations have voiced enthusiasm over the summit and said they hoped to discuss Covid-19 and climate change, two key priorities for Biden. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the talks "an historic moment in our region" while India said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would promote "a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region." Japan announced that Prime Minister Suga will become the first foreign leader to see Biden in person, a sign of the primacy the new US leader attaches to allies. In Tokyo, top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said that Suga will visit the White House "as early as the first half of April" if conditions allow. Also read | First-ever Quad summit to focus on Indo-Pacific, Covid vaccines (with inputs from agencies)

With an eye on China, Biden to hold first summit with India, Australia, Japan

A homeless man spent five hours last month&nbsp;freely roaming the US military base where the president's plane is kept, after easily passing through several layers of security.

The Air Force Thursday admitted to their folly.

The unauthorised intruder at Joint Base Andrews made his way onto a C-40 transport plane on the tarmac, but did not get close to Air Force One or the secretary of defense's dedicated Boeing 747s, the Air Force inspector general said in a report on the February 4 incident.

The base, just south of Washington, is where the president, defense secretary, and other top officials fly from for official business. It is also the arrival point for visiting VIPs like foreign heads of state.

The unidentified man was able to drive onto the base, despite the tight security, and spend five hours there at a food court, in the VIP terminal, and elsewhere before he drew attention.

The otherwise heavily redacted report even detailed his unique appearance -- "On his head, he had a bright red or pink cap that partially covered his ears and had distinctive balls on top that looked a little like mouse ears," according to the &nbsp;report.

The inspector general faulted first a guard at the main gate who, distracted by personal problems and obstructed by Covid-19 practices, let the man through despite his lack of valid credentials.

In a second failure, the man walked onto the tarmac due to a malfunctioning automatic gate.

In a third breach, he boarded the C-40, seen but ignored by two aircrew undergoing training.

After he got off the aircraft he returned to the terminal where his suspicious behaviour finally drew attention. Security officers arrested him.

Authorities, however, assured the man never got close to Air Force One, parked at a distant location and protected by more intense layers of security.

The report concluded that the man was homeless, lived in his car, and despite an extensive arrest record showed no intent to do harm.

During questioning, he simply said "he came on base because he wanted to see airplanes," according to the report.

It was not known if the man will face charges.

(with inputs)

A homeless man spent five hours last month freely roaming the US military base where the president's plane is kept, after easily passing through several layers of security.

A homeless man spent five hours last month freely roaming the US military base where the president's plane is kept, after easily passing through several layers of security. The Air Force Thursday admitted to their folly. The unauthorised intruder at Joint Base Andrews made his way onto a C-40 transport plane on the tarmac, but did not get close to Air Force One or the secretary of defense's dedicated Boeing 747s, the Air Force inspector general said in a report on the February 4 incident. The base, just south of Washington, is where the president, defense secretary, and other top officials fly from for official business. It is also the arrival point for visiting VIPs like foreign heads of state. The unidentified man was able to drive onto the base, despite the tight security, and spend five hours there at a food court, in the VIP terminal, and elsewhere before he drew attention. The otherwise heavily redacted report even detailed his unique appearance -- "On his head, he had a bright red or pink cap that partially covered his ears and had distinctive balls on top that looked a little like mouse ears," according to the report. The inspector general faulted first a guard at the main gate who, distracted by personal problems and obstructed by Covid-19 practices, let the man through despite his lack of valid credentials. In a second failure, the man walked onto the tarmac due to a malfunctioning automatic gate. In a third breach, he boarded the C-40, seen but ignored by two aircrew undergoing training. After he got off the aircraft he returned to the terminal where his suspicious behaviour finally drew attention. Security officers arrested him. Authorities, however, assured the man never got close to Air Force One, parked at a distant location and protected by more intense layers of security. The report concluded that the man was homeless, lived in his car, and despite an extensive arrest record showed no intent to do harm. During questioning, he simply said "he came on base because he wanted to see airplanes," according to the report. It was not known if the man will face charges. (with inputs)

Homeless man arrested after roaming air base housing Biden's plane for five hours

US&nbsp;President Joe Biden met leaders of Australia, India and Japan on Friday, a group central to his efforts to counter China's growing military and economic power, and said a free and open Indo-Pacific region was essential to all of their futures.

The White House says the virtual meeting of the countries known as the Quad, the first at the leader level, shows the importance Biden places on the Indo-Pacific region and that it will focus on ways to fight the coronavirus pandemic, as well as cooperate on economic growth and the climate crisis.

"A free and open Indo Pacific is essential to each of our futures," Biden told the meeting from the White House. "The United States is committed to working with you, our partners, and all our allies in the region, to achieve stability." Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he wanted the four "to forge strongly ahead toward the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and to make a visible contribution to peace, stability and prosperity of the region, including overcoming the coronavirus."

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/quad-meeting-2021-focus-on-vaccines-securing-indo-pacific-on-agenda-369938/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

India and Australia have also emphasized the importance of regional security cooperation, which has been enhanced by previous lower-level meetings of the four countries.

A senior US&nbsp;official told reporters ahead of the meeting it would involve "an honest, open discussion about China's role on the global stage," referencing "challenges in the region" to free and open trade and commerce.

The Biden administration has said the Quad nations will announce financing agreements to support an increase in manufacturing capacity for coronavirus vaccines in India, something New Delhi has called for to counter China's widening vaccine diplomacy.

US&nbsp;officials say the countries will also set up a group of experts to help distribute vaccines in the region, as well as working groups for cooperation on climate change, technology standards, and joint development of emerging technologies.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/quad-keen-to-discuss-covid-19-challenges-in-indo-pacific-says-australian-pm-scott-morrison-369987" hreflang="en">Quad: Keen to discuss COVID-19, challenges in Indo-Pacific, says Australian PM</a>

The United States wants to strengthen ties with allies and partners as China adopts an increasingly assertive foreign policy in Asia and beyond. Washington says the additional vaccine capacity will be used in immunization efforts in Southeast Asia, where Beijing is competing for influence.

The virtual meeting including Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will aim to lay the groundwork for an in-person meeting later this year, the administration said.

'Whole new level of cooperation'

Morrison called the meeting "incredibly important."

"When governments come together at the highest level, this shows a whole new level of cooperation to create a new anchor for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific," he told reporters.

Among the issues to be addressed are supply chains exposed as heavily reliant on China during the pandemic.

Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported on Thursday that the four countries would also work together to secure rare earth metals essential to the production of electric car motors and other products.

The Biden administration told Reuters on Tuesday the United States and Japan would help fund Indian firms manufacturing vaccines for U.S. drugmakers Novavax Inc and J&amp;J.

However, Indian government sources said U.S. curbs on exports of critical materials could hamper that effort and those to start large-scale distribution to Southeast Asia.

A second senior administration official told reporters on Thursday that Washington's focus was foremost on getting vaccines to Americans, adding: "We will not be talking about sharing vaccines right now."

India, Australia and Japan have all faced security challenges from China, strengthening their interest in the Quad. Cooperation among them dates back to their joint response to the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in 2004.

The Quad was revived under the Trump administration, which regarded it as a vehicle to push back against China's spreading influence. The United States hosted a foreign ministers' meeting in 2019, which was followed by another in Japan last year and a virtual session in February.

Friday's meeting coincided with a major US&nbsp;diplomatic drive to solidify alliances in Asia and Europe to counter China.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin head to Japan and South Korea for the first face-to-face meetings between senior officials of the Biden administration and US&nbsp;allies - underscoring the critical importance Washington places on Asia and the China challenge.

Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will join Blinken in Alaska next week to meet with China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and State Councillor Wang Yi - the first high-level in-person contact between the world's two largest economies under the Biden administration.

Washington has said it will not hold back in its criticism of Beijing over issues ranging from Taiwan to Hong Kong and the genocide it says China is committing against minority Muslims.

US&nbsp;officials have said they see the meeting with their Chinese counterparts as a "one-off session", with future senior-level engagements based on Washington seeing tangible outcomes to address its grievances with Beijing.

US President Joe Biden met leaders of Australia, India and Japan on Friday, a group central to his efforts to counter China's growing military and economic power, and said a free and open Indo-Pacific region was essential to all of their futures.

US President Joe Biden met leaders of Australia, India and Japan on Friday, a group central to his efforts to counter China's growing military and economic power, and said a free and open Indo-Pacific region was essential to all of their futures. The White House says the virtual meeting of the countries known as the Quad, the first at the leader level, shows the importance Biden places on the Indo-Pacific region and that it will focus on ways to fight the coronavirus pandemic, as well as cooperate on economic growth and the climate crisis. "A free and open Indo Pacific is essential to each of our futures," Biden told the meeting from the White House. "The United States is committed to working with you, our partners, and all our allies in the region, to achieve stability." Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he wanted the four "to forge strongly ahead toward the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and to make a visible contribution to peace, stability and prosperity of the region, including overcoming the coronavirus." India and Australia have also emphasized the importance of regional security cooperation, which has been enhanced by previous lower-level meetings of the four countries. A senior US official told reporters ahead of the meeting it would involve "an honest, open discussion about China's role on the global stage," referencing "challenges in the region" to free and open trade and commerce. The Biden administration has said the Quad nations will announce financing agreements to support an increase in manufacturing capacity for coronavirus vaccines in India, something New Delhi has called for to counter China's widening vaccine diplomacy. US officials say the countries will also set up a group of experts to help distribute vaccines in the region, as well as working groups for cooperation on climate change, technology standards, and joint development of emerging technologies. Also read| Quad: Keen to discuss COVID-19, challenges in Indo-Pacific, says Australian PM The United States wants to strengthen ties with allies and partners as China adopts an increasingly assertive foreign policy in Asia and beyond. Washington says the additional vaccine capacity will be used in immunization efforts in Southeast Asia, where Beijing is competing for influence. The virtual meeting including Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will aim to lay the groundwork for an in-person meeting later this year, the administration said. 'Whole new level of cooperation' Morrison called the meeting "incredibly important." "When governments come together at the highest level, this shows a whole new level of cooperation to create a new anchor for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific," he told reporters. Among the issues to be addressed are supply chains exposed as heavily reliant on China during the pandemic. Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported on Thursday that the four countries would also work together to secure rare earth metals essential to the production of electric car motors and other products. The Biden administration told Reuters on Tuesday the United States and Japan would help fund Indian firms manufacturing vaccines for U.S. drugmakers Novavax Inc and J&J. However, Indian government sources said U.S. curbs on exports of critical materials could hamper that effort and those to start large-scale distribution to Southeast Asia. A second senior administration official told reporters on Thursday that Washington's focus was foremost on getting vaccines to Americans, adding: "We will not be talking about sharing vaccines right now." India, Australia and Japan have all faced security challenges from China, strengthening their interest in the Quad. Cooperation among them dates back to their joint response to the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in 2004. The Quad was revived under the Trump administration, which regarded it as a vehicle to push back against China's spreading influence. The United States hosted a foreign ministers' meeting in 2019, which was followed by another in Japan last year and a virtual session in February. Friday's meeting coincided with a major US diplomatic drive to solidify alliances in Asia and Europe to counter China. On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin head to Japan and South Korea for the first face-to-face meetings between senior officials of the Biden administration and US allies - underscoring the critical importance Washington places on Asia and the China challenge. Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will join Blinken in Alaska next week to meet with China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and State Councillor Wang Yi - the first high-level in-person contact between the world's two largest economies under the Biden administration. Washington has said it will not hold back in its criticism of Beijing over issues ranging from Taiwan to Hong Kong and the genocide it says China is committing against minority Muslims. US officials have said they see the meeting with their Chinese counterparts as a "one-off session", with future senior-level engagements based on Washington seeing tangible outcomes to address its grievances with Beijing.

Joe Biden has put together a new road map to fight against the deadly virus. Taking one step ahead, Biden also announced to go from one million shots per day to two million shots.

Joe Biden lays a roadmap for post COVID world

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will soon be travelling to the United States to meet US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden.</a>

Suga will become the first foreign leader to meet the newly-elected US President face-to-face, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told the local reporters.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/quad-summit-to-announce-vaccine-initiative-with-indias-manufacturing-at-the-centre-369900" hreflang="en">Quad to announce 'vaccine initiative' with India's manufacturing at the centre</a>

Biden and Suga will be meeting next month to discuss Indo-Pacific issues. This meeting will also help highlight the strong commitment towards a free and fair Indo-Pacific region.

The Japan Prime Minister will be making this trip only after he and his whole accompanying team get vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus, which has hit the US the hardest.

In addition to the Indo-Pacific region, the two leaders will also be discussing pandemic measures and the issue of climate change.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/quad-meeting-2021-focus-on-vaccines-securing-indo-pacific-on-agenda-369938">WATCH |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/quad-meeting-2021-focus-on-vaccines-securing-indo-pacific-on-agenda-369938/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

During this face-to-face summit, the two countries will also point out their concerns about North Korea and China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea, which has equally concerned the US and Japan.

"We hope to further strengthen our bilateral relations including the Japan-US alliance and to confirm our close cooperation toward achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific," Kato said. "It would be a good opportunity for us to show the rest of the world the close unity of the Japan-US alliance and the US commitment to the Indo-Pacific region."

The two leaders have earlier held virtual talks to discuss matters, and are set to meet again on Friday in the virtual summit of the Quad — which includes Australia, India, Japan and the US.

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will soon be travelling to the United States to meet US President Joe Biden. Suga will become the first foreign leader to meet the newly-elected US President face-to-face, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told the local reporters.

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will soon be travelling to the United States to meet US President Joe Biden. Suga will become the first foreign leader to meet the newly-elected US President face-to-face, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told the local reporters. Also read | Quad to announce 'vaccine initiative' with India's manufacturing at the centre Biden and Suga will be meeting next month to discuss Indo-Pacific issues. This meeting will also help highlight the strong commitment towards a free and fair Indo-Pacific region. The Japan Prime Minister will be making this trip only after he and his whole accompanying team get vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus, which has hit the US the hardest. In addition to the Indo-Pacific region, the two leaders will also be discussing pandemic measures and the issue of climate change. WATCH | During this face-to-face summit, the two countries will also point out their concerns about North Korea and China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea, which has equally concerned the US and Japan. "We hope to further strengthen our bilateral relations including the Japan-US alliance and to confirm our close cooperation toward achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific," Kato said. "It would be a good opportunity for us to show the rest of the world the close unity of the Japan-US alliance and the US commitment to the Indo-Pacific region." The two leaders have earlier held virtual talks to discuss matters, and are set to meet again on Friday in the virtual summit of the Quad — which includes Australia, India, Japan and the US.

Japan's Suga to become first foreign leader to visit Biden

For the first time since President Joe Biden took office, US State Secretary Antony Blinken will hold high-level, in-person talks with Chinese representatives next week in Alaska.

US, China to hold first high-level meet under Biden in Alaska

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with top Chinese officials on March 18 in Alaska, the White House said on Wednesday.

This will be the first high-level in-person contact between the two sparring countries under the administration of the new US president, Joe Biden. The meeting will come amid what is shaping up to be a major US diplomatic push to solidify alliances in Asia and Europe to counter China.

National security advisor Jake Sullivan will join the meeting in Anchorage with China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and State Councillor Wang Yi, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, adding that the administration would approach its relations with China "in lockstep" with its partners. Blinken will join the meeting post his return from his first overseas trip to key US allies Japan and South Korea.

Blinken has already signalled next week's meeting would not be a return to regular senior-level dialogues used under past US administrations, which had been increasingly criticised in Washington for yielding little progress on US grievances with Beijing.

Biden's administration has committed to reviewing elements of US policies toward China, as the world's two largest economies navigate frosty relations that sank to their lowest depths in decades during Donald Trump's presidency.

Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, held their first phone call as leaders last month and appeared at odds on most issues, even as Xi warned that confrontation would be a "disaster" for both nations.

Blinken has also said that if China insists it is not violating the human rights of Uighur Muslims in its Xinjiang region, it should provide the world access to the area.

The talks will follow the visit by Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to Japan and South Korea next week, as well as an online summit on Friday between Biden and the leaders of Japan, India and Australia.

That will be the first leader-level meeting of the four-country group, known as the Quad, seen as part of US efforts to boost its diplomacy in Asia to balance China's growing military and economic power.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with top Chinese officials on March 18 in Alaska, the White House said on Wednesday. This will be the first high-level in-person contact between the two sparring countries under the administration of the new US president, Joe Biden.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with top Chinese officials on March 18 in Alaska, the White House said on Wednesday. This will be the first high-level in-person contact between the two sparring countries under the administration of the new US president, Joe Biden. The meeting will come amid what is shaping up to be a major US diplomatic push to solidify alliances in Asia and Europe to counter China. National security advisor Jake Sullivan will join the meeting in Anchorage with China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and State Councillor Wang Yi, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, adding that the administration would approach its relations with China "in lockstep" with its partners. Blinken will join the meeting post his return from his first overseas trip to key US allies Japan and South Korea. Blinken has already signalled next week's meeting would not be a return to regular senior-level dialogues used under past US administrations, which had been increasingly criticised in Washington for yielding little progress on US grievances with Beijing. Biden's administration has committed to reviewing elements of US policies toward China, as the world's two largest economies navigate frosty relations that sank to their lowest depths in decades during Donald Trump's presidency. Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, held their first phone call as leaders last month and appeared at odds on most issues, even as Xi warned that confrontation would be a "disaster" for both nations. Blinken has also said that if China insists it is not violating the human rights of Uighur Muslims in its Xinjiang region, it should provide the world access to the area. The talks will follow the visit by Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to Japan and South Korea next week, as well as an online summit on Friday between Biden and the leaders of Japan, India and Australia. That will be the first leader-level meeting of the four-country group, known as the Quad, seen as part of US efforts to boost its diplomacy in Asia to balance China's growing military and economic power.

Top US, China diplomats to hold first in-person talks of Biden presidency

The US said on Wednesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will meet top Chinese officials next week, making this Biden administration's first face-to-face talks with its rival.&nbsp;

The State Department said Blinken and Sullivan will meet with senior Chinese official Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Anchorage in Texas on March 18.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

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It will be held after Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's visit to Asia, to strengthen partners like India, Japan, and South Korea to shores up the alliance to counter Chinese aggression.&nbsp;

Last week, Blinken described China as "the biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century" as it alone can "seriously challenge the stable and open international system" in a speech.

The US state secretary also vowed to put alliances first in the Washington strategy.

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/why-apt-to-counter-chinese-aggression-now-369523">Why apt to counter Chinese aggression now?</a>

US-China ties strained under the term of former president Donald Trump due to the outbreak of coronavirus. &nbsp;

Rights abuses in Hong Kong and China's authoritarian approach towards Tibet and Taiwan also triggered the US's anger, which led to the imposition of sanctions on several Chinese officials.&nbsp;

In February, US President Joe Biden spoke with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping where the former "underscored his fundamental concerns about Beijing’s coercive and unfair economic practices, crackdown in Hong Kong, human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and increasingly assertive actions in the region, including toward Taiwan."&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

The US said on Wednesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will meet top Chinese officials next week, making this Biden administration's first face-to-face talks with its rival.

The US said on Wednesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will meet top Chinese officials next week, making this Biden administration's first face-to-face talks with its rival. The State Department said Blinken and Sullivan will meet with senior Chinese official Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Anchorage in Texas on March 18. Watch | It will be held after Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's visit to Asia, to strengthen partners like India, Japan, and South Korea to shores up the alliance to counter Chinese aggression. Last week, Blinken described China as "the biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century" as it alone can "seriously challenge the stable and open international system" in a speech. The US state secretary also vowed to put alliances first in the Washington strategy. Also read | Why apt to counter Chinese aggression now? US-China ties strained under the term of former president Donald Trump due to the outbreak of coronavirus. Rights abuses in Hong Kong and China's authoritarian approach towards Tibet and Taiwan also triggered the US's anger, which led to the imposition of sanctions on several Chinese officials. In February, US President Joe Biden spoke with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping where the former "underscored his fundamental concerns about Beijing’s coercive and unfair economic practices, crackdown in Hong Kong, human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and increasingly assertive actions in the region, including toward Taiwan."

Biden administration to hold first face-to-face meet with Chinese officials next week

With a focus on practical cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and Covid vaccine supplies, the first-ever Quad summit will take place on Friday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison, and Japanese PM&nbsp;Yoshihide Suga will meet virtually at 7 pm IST.

India's Ministry of External Affairs said the summit "will provide an opportunity to exchange views on contemporary challenges such as resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security&nbsp;and climate change."

The&nbsp;leaders "will discuss ongoing efforts to combat Covid-19 pandemic and explore opportunities for collaboration in ensuring safe, equitable and affordable vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region," it said in a statement.

Quad, short for Quadrilateral Security Dialogue,&nbsp;first came into existence after the 2004 tsunami and was first formalised in 2007. At that time, Australia had issues&nbsp;with the grouping, which again held a meeting a decade later in 2017 at the official level. Since 2019, Quad has had conversations at the foreign ministers' level, thrice.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, "That President Biden has made this one of his earliest multilateral engagements speaks to the importance we place on close cooperation with our allies and partners in the Indo- Pacific."&nbsp;

"A range of issues, of course, will be discussed — we expect to be discussed, I should say — facing the global community from the threat of Covid, to economic cooperation, and of course, to the climate crisis," she told reporters.

The Quad meeting comes at a time of increased Chinese aggressiveness, not only in the region but with Quad member countries as well. Beijing has locked horns with Australia and the US on the trade front, Japan over&nbsp;Senkaku islands, and is engaged in a border standoff with India, that has seen disengagement at one area so far.

With a focus on practical cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and Covid vaccine supplies, the first-ever Quad summit will take place on Friday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison, and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga will meet virtually at 7 pm IST.

With a focus on practical cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and Covid vaccine supplies, the first-ever Quad summit will take place on Friday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison, and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga will meet virtually at 7 pm IST. India's Ministry of External Affairs said the summit "will provide an opportunity to exchange views on contemporary challenges such as resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security and climate change." The leaders "will discuss ongoing efforts to combat Covid-19 pandemic and explore opportunities for collaboration in ensuring safe, equitable and affordable vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region," it said in a statement. Quad, short for Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, first came into existence after the 2004 tsunami and was first formalised in 2007. At that time, Australia had issues with the grouping, which again held a meeting a decade later in 2017 at the official level. Since 2019, Quad has had conversations at the foreign ministers' level, thrice. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, "That President Biden has made this one of his earliest multilateral engagements speaks to the importance we place on close cooperation with our allies and partners in the Indo- Pacific." "A range of issues, of course, will be discussed — we expect to be discussed, I should say — facing the global community from the threat of Covid, to economic cooperation, and of course, to the climate crisis," she told reporters. The Quad meeting comes at a time of increased Chinese aggressiveness, not only in the region but with Quad member countries as well. Beijing has locked horns with Australia and the US on the trade front, Japan over Senkaku islands, and is engaged in a border standoff with India, that has seen disengagement at one area so far.

First-ever Quad summit to focus on Indo-Pacific, Covid vaccines

President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> is planning an aggressive campaign to tell voters about the benefits for them in the $1.9 trillion economic relief package that won final congressional approval Wednesday, an attempt to ensure that he and his fellow Democrats get full political credit for the first big victory of his administration.

The effort will start with Biden’s scheduled prime-time address to the nation Thursday and include travel by the president and Vice President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a> across multiple states, events with a wide range of Cabinet members emphasizing themes of the legislation and endorsements from Republican mayors, administration officials said Wednesday.

The White House’s decision to get out and sell the package after its passage reflects a lesson from the early months of the Obama administration. In 2009, fighting to help the economy recover from a crippling financial crisis, President Barack Obama never succeeded in building durable popular support for a similar stimulus bill and allowed Republicans to define it on their terms, fueling a partisan backlash and the rise of the Tea Party movement.

Biden starts with the advantage that the legislation, which he is set to sign Friday, is widely popular in national polling. And it will deliver a series of tangible benefits to low- and middle-income Americans, including direct payments of $1,400 per individual, just as the economy’s halting recovery from the pandemic recession is poised to accelerate.

Speaking briefly to reporters Wednesday, the president called the legislation “a historic, historic victory for the American people.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-china-to-hold-first-high-level-meet-under-biden-in-alaska-369619">WATCH |</a>&nbsp;

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After his address from the Oval Office on Thursday night, Biden will headline a public relations effort over several weeks that aides say will involve his entire Cabinet and White House communications officials, and support from like-minded business and policy organizations and political supporters at all levels around the country. The White House announced Wednesday that Biden would visit the Philadelphia suburbs next week.

Unlike President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>, who loved to serve at times as a singular pitchman for the economic policies under his administration, Biden will lead an all-hands effort.

It is a striking contrast to the strategy pursued by the Obama administration, when Biden was vice president. Obama’s first major legislative victory was a nearly $800 billion stimulus bill that passed with the backing of a majority of voters, but it lost support over time.

Biden was still trying to sell voters on the benefits of that plan in 2016, near the end of his time as vice president. He told congressional Democrats this month that the administration had “paid a price” for failing to better market the bill early on.

Obama struggled in part because the economy was still contracting when his plan passed, and its rollout was overshadowed by an arduously slow recovery from recession. “President Obama gave speech after speech” to sell his stimulus plan, Dan Pfeiffer, who was a White House communications director under Obama, wrote this week. “He visited factory after factory that had reopened because of the Recovery Act. But it was nearly impossible to break through the avalanche of bad news.”

The circumstances appear to be different this year. Democrats are buoyed by polls that show Biden's relief package winning as much as three-quarters support from voters nationwide, including large swaths of Republicans, even after a month of attacks from congressional Republicans who voted in unison against its passage in both the House and the Senate.

More than 7 in 10 Americans backed Biden’s aid package as of last month, according to polling from the online research firm SurveyMonkey for The New York Times. That includes support from three-quarters of independent voters, 2 in 5 Republicans and nearly all Democrats. A poll released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center found similar support.

The Biden team also appears to have economic circumstances working in its favor. Job growth accelerated in February, Biden’s first full month in office. Forecasters expect economic growth to speed up even more in the months to come because of the increasingly widespread deployment of COVID-19 vaccines across the country, which should allow consumers to start spending more on activities like traveling or dining out, which many have cut back on over the past year because of the pandemic.

Forecasters expect the relief package to further fuel growth, in part by shuttling money to low- and middle-income Americans who disproportionately lost jobs and incomes in the crisis. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicted this week that the Biden plan would help the U.S. economy grow at a 6.5% rate this year, which would be its fastest annual clip since the early 1980s.

The timing of the bill could bolster Biden’s attempts to claim credit for that rebound, even though forecasters were projecting a return to growth — albeit a smaller one than they now predict — before he took office. Trump did something similar in 2017: Growth had slowed in early 2016, but it had begun to improve in the second half of that year, before Trump won the White House. Yet he persistently claimed he had engineered the greatest economy in American history.

Still, Biden administration officials are mindful that political opposition could easily fester and grow if they do not clearly explain the contents — and direct benefits — of a bill that will be the second-largest economic aid package in American history, trailing only the initial bill that lawmakers approved under Trump last year as the worsening pandemic pushed the nation into recession.

Republicans continued to attack the bill on the House floor Wednesday, casting it as overly expensive, ineffectively targeted and bloated with long-standing liberal priorities unrelated to the pandemic.

“Because Democrats chose to prioritize their political ambitions instead of the working class,” Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, the top Republican on the Budget Committee, said in a news release, “they just passed the wrong plan, at the wrong time, for all the wrong reasons.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, one of the few Democrats in the chamber to represent a state Biden lost to Trump in 2020, called the Republican attacks “lies” and said they showed why Democrats needed to remind voters of the benefits to people and businesses included in the bill.

“You’ve got to sell it, because they’re going to lie about everything,” Brown said. “The sale is an easy sell, but you need to continue to remind” voters about the contents of the package, he said.

Biden is scheduled to follow his speech Thursday with travel to states led by both Democratic and Republican governors in the coming weeks to begin the sales pitch. Among the options being considered, if they can be done safely during the pandemic, are town-hall-style events that allow the president to directly take questions from people.

The main message, according to Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, will be an echo of one of Biden’s chief campaign promises: “Help is on the way.”

The president’s political and communications advisers have identified 10 themes that they want to tackle, one by one, in the days and weeks ahead. They include food insecurity, child poverty, bolstering rural health care, school reopening, help for veterans and help for small businesses.

“We’ll be emphasizing a number of components that are in the package and really having a conversation,” Psaki said. “This is important to the president personally, having a conversation directly with people about how they can benefit, addressing questions they have, even taking their feedback on implementation.”

President Joe Biden is planning an aggressive campaign to tell voters about the benefits for them in the $1.9 trillion economic relief package that won final congressional approval Wednesday, an attempt to ensure that he and his fellow Democrats get full political credit for the first big victory of his administration.

President Joe Biden is planning an aggressive campaign to tell voters about the benefits for them in the $1.9 trillion economic relief package that won final congressional approval Wednesday, an attempt to ensure that he and his fellow Democrats get full political credit for the first big victory of his administration. The effort will start with Biden’s scheduled prime-time address to the nation Thursday and include travel by the president and Vice President Kamala Harris across multiple states, events with a wide range of Cabinet members emphasizing themes of the legislation and endorsements from Republican mayors, administration officials said Wednesday. The White House’s decision to get out and sell the package after its passage reflects a lesson from the early months of the Obama administration. In 2009, fighting to help the economy recover from a crippling financial crisis, President Barack Obama never succeeded in building durable popular support for a similar stimulus bill and allowed Republicans to define it on their terms, fueling a partisan backlash and the rise of the Tea Party movement. Biden starts with the advantage that the legislation, which he is set to sign Friday, is widely popular in national polling. And it will deliver a series of tangible benefits to low- and middle-income Americans, including direct payments of $1,400 per individual, just as the economy’s halting recovery from the pandemic recession is poised to accelerate. Speaking briefly to reporters Wednesday, the president called the legislation “a historic, historic victory for the American people.” WATCH | After his address from the Oval Office on Thursday night, Biden will headline a public relations effort over several weeks that aides say will involve his entire Cabinet and White House communications officials, and support from like-minded business and policy organizations and political supporters at all levels around the country. The White House announced Wednesday that Biden would visit the Philadelphia suburbs next week. Unlike President Donald Trump, who loved to serve at times as a singular pitchman for the economic policies under his administration, Biden will lead an all-hands effort. It is a striking contrast to the strategy pursued by the Obama administration, when Biden was vice president. Obama’s first major legislative victory was a nearly $800 billion stimulus bill that passed with the backing of a majority of voters, but it lost support over time. Biden was still trying to sell voters on the benefits of that plan in 2016, near the end of his time as vice president. He told congressional Democrats this month that the administration had “paid a price” for failing to better market the bill early on. Obama struggled in part because the economy was still contracting when his plan passed, and its rollout was overshadowed by an arduously slow recovery from recession. “President Obama gave speech after speech” to sell his stimulus plan, Dan Pfeiffer, who was a White House communications director under Obama, wrote this week. “He visited factory after factory that had reopened because of the Recovery Act. But it was nearly impossible to break through the avalanche of bad news.” The circumstances appear to be different this year. Democrats are buoyed by polls that show Biden's relief package winning as much as three-quarters support from voters nationwide, including large swaths of Republicans, even after a month of attacks from congressional Republicans who voted in unison against its passage in both the House and the Senate. More than 7 in 10 Americans backed Biden’s aid package as of last month, according to polling from the online research firm SurveyMonkey for The New York Times. That includes support from three-quarters of independent voters, 2 in 5 Republicans and nearly all Democrats. A poll released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center found similar support. The Biden team also appears to have economic circumstances working in its favor. Job growth accelerated in February, Biden’s first full month in office. Forecasters expect economic growth to speed up even more in the months to come because of the increasingly widespread deployment of COVID-19 vaccines across the country, which should allow consumers to start spending more on activities like traveling or dining out, which many have cut back on over the past year because of the pandemic. Forecasters expect the relief package to further fuel growth, in part by shuttling money to low- and middle-income Americans who disproportionately lost jobs and incomes in the crisis. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicted this week that the Biden plan would help the U.S. economy grow at a 6.5% rate this year, which would be its fastest annual clip since the early 1980s. The timing of the bill could bolster Biden’s attempts to claim credit for that rebound, even though forecasters were projecting a return to growth — albeit a smaller one than they now predict — before he took office. Trump did something similar in 2017: Growth had slowed in early 2016, but it had begun to improve in the second half of that year, before Trump won the White House. Yet he persistently claimed he had engineered the greatest economy in American history. Still, Biden administration officials are mindful that political opposition could easily fester and grow if they do not clearly explain the contents — and direct benefits — of a bill that will be the second-largest economic aid package in American history, trailing only the initial bill that lawmakers approved under Trump last year as the worsening pandemic pushed the nation into recession. Republicans continued to attack the bill on the House floor Wednesday, casting it as overly expensive, ineffectively targeted and bloated with long-standing liberal priorities unrelated to the pandemic. “Because Democrats chose to prioritize their political ambitions instead of the working class,” Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, the top Republican on the Budget Committee, said in a news release, “they just passed the wrong plan, at the wrong time, for all the wrong reasons.” Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, one of the few Democrats in the chamber to represent a state Biden lost to Trump in 2020, called the Republican attacks “lies” and said they showed why Democrats needed to remind voters of the benefits to people and businesses included in the bill. “You’ve got to sell it, because they’re going to lie about everything,” Brown said. “The sale is an easy sell, but you need to continue to remind” voters about the contents of the package, he said. Biden is scheduled to follow his speech Thursday with travel to states led by both Democratic and Republican governors in the coming weeks to begin the sales pitch. Among the options being considered, if they can be done safely during the pandemic, are town-hall-style events that allow the president to directly take questions from people. The main message, according to Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, will be an echo of one of Biden’s chief campaign promises: “Help is on the way.” The president’s political and communications advisers have identified 10 themes that they want to tackle, one by one, in the days and weeks ahead. They include food insecurity, child poverty, bolstering rural health care, school reopening, help for veterans and help for small businesses. “We’ll be emphasizing a number of components that are in the package and really having a conversation,” Psaki said. “This is important to the president personally, having a conversation directly with people about how they can benefit, addressing questions they have, even taking their feedback on implementation.”

Biden plans messaging blitz to sell economic aid plan

The US government will first give Americans COVID-19 vaccines, but any surplus would be shared with the world, President Joe Biden has said.

Biden spoke on Wednesday as the US Congress adopted the $19 trillion Covid relief plan. He also announced plans to procure an additional 100 million doses of the Covid vaccine.

"We're going to start off and ensure Americans are taken care of first, but we're then going to try to help the rest of the world," Biden told reporters following an earlier announcement to secure more vaccines with the chief executives of Johnson &amp; Johnson and Merck.

"If we have a surplus, we're going to share it with the rest of the world," Biden said, adding that the United States had already committed to providing $4 billion to the COVAX global initiative to distribute vaccines in developing countries.

The Democratic president said it was clear that the pandemic would not be over until it was ended everywhere.

"We're not going to be ultimately safe, until the world is safe," he said.

Biden said that on Thursday he would deliver a primetime address to the American people and talk about what the country has been through as a nation this past year.&nbsp;

"More importantly, I'm going to talk about what comes next. I am going to launch the next phase of the COVID response and explain what we will do as a government and what we will ask of the American people," he said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bidens-19-trillion-covid-bill-wins-final-approval-in-house-369543">Also read |&nbsp;Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid bill wins final approval in House</a>

"There is a light at the end of this dark tunnel over the past year. We cannot let our guard down now or assume the victory is inevitable. Together, we are going to get through this pandemic and usher in a healthier and more hopeful future," Biden said.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that Biden was deeply focussed on expanding global vaccinations, but the US government was pushing to first ensure sufficient doses for people in the United States who wanted to get vaccinated. She said Biden was discussing the need to ensure vaccines got to developing countries with his counterparts, but gave no details.

The United States, Britain, European Union nations and other richer members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Wednesday blocked a push by more than 80 developing countries to waive patent rights in an effort to boost production of COVID-19 vaccines for poor nations.

South Africa and India are leading the push for a temporary waiver of the rules of the WTO's Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) agreement, a move that could allow generic or other manufacturers to make more vaccines.

The US government will first give Americans COVID-19 vaccines, but any surplus would be shared with the world, President Joe Biden has said. Biden spoke on Wednesday as the US Congress adopted the $19 trillion Covid relief plan.

The US government will first give Americans COVID-19 vaccines, but any surplus would be shared with the world, President Joe Biden has said. Biden spoke on Wednesday as the US Congress adopted the $19 trillion Covid relief plan. He also announced plans to procure an additional 100 million doses of the Covid vaccine. "We're going to start off and ensure Americans are taken care of first, but we're then going to try to help the rest of the world," Biden told reporters following an earlier announcement to secure more vaccines with the chief executives of Johnson & Johnson and Merck. "If we have a surplus, we're going to share it with the rest of the world," Biden said, adding that the United States had already committed to providing $4 billion to the COVAX global initiative to distribute vaccines in developing countries. The Democratic president said it was clear that the pandemic would not be over until it was ended everywhere. "We're not going to be ultimately safe, until the world is safe," he said. Biden said that on Thursday he would deliver a primetime address to the American people and talk about what the country has been through as a nation this past year. "More importantly, I'm going to talk about what comes next. I am going to launch the next phase of the COVID response and explain what we will do as a government and what we will ask of the American people," he said. Also read | Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid bill wins final approval in House "There is a light at the end of this dark tunnel over the past year. We cannot let our guard down now or assume the victory is inevitable. Together, we are going to get through this pandemic and usher in a healthier and more hopeful future," Biden said. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that Biden was deeply focussed on expanding global vaccinations, but the US government was pushing to first ensure sufficient doses for people in the United States who wanted to get vaccinated. She said Biden was discussing the need to ensure vaccines got to developing countries with his counterparts, but gave no details. The United States, Britain, European Union nations and other richer members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Wednesday blocked a push by more than 80 developing countries to waive patent rights in an effort to boost production of COVID-19 vaccines for poor nations. South Africa and India are leading the push for a temporary waiver of the rules of the WTO's Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) agreement, a move that could allow generic or other manufacturers to make more vaccines.

Americans will be first to get vaccines, Biden says

The United States House of Representative passed President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion relief bill which will help Americans to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden's $1.9 tn COVID-19 relief bill cleared, Prez to sign law on Friday

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