Joe Biden’s scheduled visit to Australia for a leaders’ summit of the Quad, a strategic alliance of the United States, India, Japan and Australia, has been cancelled, after the US President called off the trip due to the worsening COVID-19 situation in America.
The summit was planned for mid-March in Brisbane. Biden was expected to travel to the city for the meeting with the other leaders of the Quad.
In a statement, the White House said, “President Biden has made the decision to cancel his travel to the Quad summit in Brisbane out of an abundance of caution given the current situation in the United States.”
The Quad leaders had planned to discuss the region’s coronavirus response, climate change and regional security. Australia, Japan and India had all expressed their disappointment at Biden’s decision to cancel the summit.