Australian envoy suggests 'smelling salts' for worries over Biden's Quad cancellation
Australia's ambassador to the U.S. says "pull out our smelling salts."
Kevin Rudd, who is also a former prime minister, tells Morning Edition he believes President Biden's decision to put off a security meeting in Sydney with leaders of Australia, India and Japan will have little impact on regional security or efforts to counter China's regional influence.
Biden, who is attending the G7 summit in Japan, said he was postponing his attendance at the Quad-conference to focus on the political fight over the debt ceiling in the U.S. In an interview with NPR's Leila Fadel, Rudd says, "The relationship between the two of us is as robust and as intense as I've ever seen it."
Rudd points to the Biden administration's engagement at the military level and in collaboration on energy and infrastructure.
"I think we need to take a step back to pull out our smelling salts and say, look, the postponement of a presidential visit in the scheme of all this is quite small," Rudd said.
The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
What message does Biden's postponement send to Australia and the leaders of Japan and India?
This alliance of ours has been through some 15 Australian prime ministers and 14 American presidents... This is just one of those things that happens and we get the intensity of the debate on the future of the debt ceiling in the Congress.
Will the U.S. absence hurt efforts to court India as a counterweight to China's regional influence?
The Quad agenda will proceed. The meeting will happen, though not in Sydney, but in Japan... And the content of the agenda will roll out. And this is very important in continuing to provide further strategic balance in the wider Indo-Pacific region, quite apart from the details of the agenda on climate, on energy, on infrastructure, on critical minerals and the things that matter to the peoples of the wider region.
How is Beijing likely to view Biden's postponement?
It's not just, you know, a single visit that sums up the totality of the engagement of U.S. and allied diplomacy over the last two and a half years. You see, look, most recently at the great success in Korean-American relations as a result of President Yoon's visit to Washington.
Is there a feeling that the region's issues seem to move to the U.S. backburner when other crises surface?
President Biden's already been in the region a number of times. He's been in Korea, he's been in Japan, he's been in Cambodia, he's been in Indonesia. The bottom line is the fabric of these overall relationships at the military level, at the level of collaboration in critical areas of energy, of infrastructure, and renewable energy in particular – this is probably stronger than I've ever seen it.
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Transcript
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
President Biden is attending the G-7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, to talk about Ukraine, nuclear nonproliferation, and deterring China. He's not attending a follow-up meeting in Australia with the leaders of Japan, India, and Australia. Biden says the political fight over the debt ceiling in the U.S. takes precedence over what's known as the Quad security meeting in Sydney. To discuss, Australia's former prime minister, now ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd joins us now. Good morning, Ambassador. Thanks for being on the program.
KEVIN RUDD: Good morning, Leila. Thank you for having me.
FADEL: So what message does Biden postponing this trip send to Australia and the leaders of Japan and India?
RUDD: Well, any Australian prime minister would welcome a visit by a president of the United States. And, of course, as Prime Minister Albanese of Australia has said, it's disappointing that the president wasn't able to make it this time. But, look, we've been around for a very long time...
FADEL: Yeah.
RUDD: ...With America. This alliance of ours has been through some 15 Australian prime ministers and 14 American presidents. And I've got to say, as the new ambassador here in Washington, I think the relationship between the two of us is as robust and as intense as I've ever seen it across that span of history. So this is just one of those things that happens. And we get the intensity of the debate on the future of the debt ceiling in the Congress.
FADEL: You know, I'm thinking about you describing such a robust relationship in this moment, and one of the regional focuses is courting India as a counterweight to China's influence in the region, right? Will that be a focus of this upcoming meeting, and will the U.S. absence hurt the effort?
RUDD: Well, the important thing about the Quad, which you mentioned in your intro, is that there will now be a Quad summit held in Japan when President Biden is there. Prime Minister Modi will be visiting from India as a guest of Japan in the G-7 summit. So, too, will Prime Minister Albanese from Australia. So the Quad agenda will proceed. The meeting will happen, though not in Sydney, but in Japan - either Hiroshima or Tokyo. I'm not sure which. And the content of the agenda will roll out. And this is very important in continuing to provide further strategic balance in the wider Indo-Pacific region, quite apart from the details of the agenda on climate, on energy, on infrastructure, on critical minerals and the things that matter to the peoples of the wider region.
FADEL: How do you think the postponing of the Sydney visit is being viewed - and Papua New Guinea - is being viewed from Beijing?
RUDD: Well, the Chinese, within their own view as they look at the wider Indo-Pacific region, will frankly see a whole range of developing U.S. and allied assets. It's not just, you know, a single visit that sums up the totality of the engagement of U.S. and allied diplomacy over the last 2 1/2 years. You see, look most recently at the great success in Korean-American relations as a result of President Yoon's visit to Washington. The Kishida relationship with President Biden and Japan over national security is the closest I've ever seen it. The Philippines - now back very much in the alliance fold with the reopening of American bases there. In the Pacific Islands, what do I see is - I see an expanding U.S. diplomatic footprint, growing U.S. aid. And on the back of that, of course, Australia is still being, by far and above, the dominant aid provider across the Pacific Island nations, all 16 of them. So this is just a very small thing in the scheme of things, to be quite honest.
FADEL: In the bigger picture though, are you concerned that the U.S. presence isn't big enough? I mean, over the past couple decades it feels like the region's issues seem to get moved to the backburner when other things come up - the war in Ukraine, crises in the Middle East, in this case, a crisis here in the U.S.
RUDD: Well, if I look at the last couple of years, President Biden has already been in the region a number of times. He's been in Korea. He's been in Japan. He's been in Cambodia. He's been in Indonesia. The bottom line is the fabric of these overall relationships at the military level, at the level of collaboration in critical areas of energy, of infrastructure and renewable energy in particular - this is probably stronger than I've ever seen it, and I began life as a career diplomat back in the '80s. So I think we need to take a step back, pull out our smelling salts, and say, look, the postponement of a presidential visit, in the scheme of all this, is quite small.
FADEL: Kevin Rudd is Australia's former prime minister, now ambassador to the U.S. Ambassador, thank you so much for taking the time.
RUDD: Good to be with you on the program. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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