The Quad meeting in Sydney between the leaders of the United States, Japan, India and Australia will not go ahead after US President Joe Biden cancelled his planned visit to Australia.
The meeting was scheduled to take place in March 2021 and would have been the first gathering of the leaders of the Quad countries in person.
The Quad is an informal strategic dialogue between the four countries that was established in 2017 to address a range of regional and global issues.
The meeting would have been an important milestone in the Quad’s development and a chance for the leaders to discuss issues such as the response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Indo-Pacific region’s security and economic challenges.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was “disappointed” that the meeting could not go ahead, but said the four countries would continue to work together in other ways.
“The solidarity of the four nations in the Quad remains strong and we will continue to work together on a range of issues, including tackling the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said in a statement.
It is not yet known when the Quad leaders will be able to meet in person.