Joe Biden cancels trip to Australia, Papua New Guinea due to US debt crisis

Washington: President Joe Biden said Tuesday he is cutting short his upcoming trip to the Indo-Pacific, canceling a historic stop in Papua New Guinea as well as a visit to Australia for a gathering with fellow leaders of the so-called Quad partnership are doing. In Washington, the focus may shift to debt ceiling talks. The failure of two of the three rounds of foreign travel is a foreign policy blow for an administration that has put much of its focus on the Pacific at the heart of its global reach.

Biden said he still plans to depart Wednesday for Hiroshima, Japan, for a Group of Seven summit with leaders of some of the world’s major economies. He will return to America on Sunday.

“I’m postponing the Australia portion of the trip and my stop in Papua New Guinea to come back for final talks with Congressional leaders,” Biden said at the start of a Jewish event.

American Heritage Month event at the White House. “The nature of the presidency is addressing many important matters at once. That’s why I am confident that we will continue to make progress toward avoiding default and fulfilling America’s responsibility as a leader on the world stage,” he said. ” ,

Biden said he spoke with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier on Tuesday to inform him he was postponing the trip to Australia and invited him to Washington for an official state visit at a yet-to-be-determined date. White House staff briefed Prime Minister James Marape of Papua New Guinea.

White House officials did not immediately respond to a question about when Biden might reschedule the trip to the two countries.

“Reviving and reinvigorating our alliances and advancing partnerships like the Quad is a key priority for the president,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “It is critical to our ability to advance our foreign policy goals and better promote global stability and prosperity. We look forward to engaging with the leaders of Australia, the Quad, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands Forum in the coming years.” Looking forward to finding other ways to.” Year.”

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has invited Albania, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as leaders of Pacific Islands to visit Hiroshima during the G-7. In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp, Albanese said the Quad leaders were now looking forward to holding a meeting in Hiroshima.

Albanese said, “Hopefully we’ll find a time when all four of us can sit down.” “We have to organize the logistics of the Quad meeting now in Sydney and we will also be discussing with our partners in the US, Japan and India over the next day or so.”

Biden was scheduled to travel to Papua New Guinea with Pacific island leaders and then to Australia for a meeting of leaders of the Quad partnership made up of the US, Australia, India and Japan. The Papua New Guinea stop will be the first visit by a sitting US president to the island nation of more than 9 million people.

The Quad partnership was first formed during the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami which killed approximately 230,000 people. Since coming to office, Biden has sought to reinvigorate the Quad as part of his broader effort to focus greater US attention on the Pacific and counter growing economic and military assertiveness by China in the region.

Biden spoke shortly after he finished meeting Tuesday afternoon with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies. announced the decision. DN.Y., for talks on the debt ceiling impasse.

Earlier Tuesday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby expressed frustration with administration officials that the debt talks are having an impact on the president’s behavior on the international stage.

Kirby said, “We wouldn’t have to have this conversation. If Congress did the right thing, I wouldn’t have to answer these questions.”

Some Republican lawmakers questioned Biden’s decision to travel abroad considering the outcome of the debt ceiling talks.

“I think he shouldn’t give up and he should focus on the debt ceiling here at home,” said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.

With a brief stop in Papua New Guinea to meet with Pacific Island leaders, Biden had hoped to demonstrate that the United States is committed to a long-term engagement in the Pacific Islands.

US attention to the region has waned after the Cold War, and China has increasingly filled the void through increased aid, development and security cooperation. Biden has said he is committed to changing that dynamic.

Last September, Biden hosted leaders from more than a dozen Pacific Island nations at the White House, announcing a new strategy to help assist the region on climate change and maritime security. His administration has recently opened embassies in the Solomon Islands and Tonga, and plans to open an embassy in Kiribati.