Biden to address UN General Assembly, seeking to mend image marred by Taliban

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WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden, whose worldwide popularity has taken a success after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, is upping the variety of main diplomatic conferences this fall as he strives to spice up alliances to counter China.

The White Home mentioned on Monday Biden will journey to New York on September 21 to deal with the United Nations Common Meeting.

The world’s largest diplomatic assembly, which was held just about in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, can be held this yr with a hybrid in-person-virtual format.

Round 100 leaders have mentioned they’ll attend the occasion, based on a provisional record obtained by AFP.

On the Common Meeting Biden plans to suggest a world summit particularly devoted to tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, The Washington Put up and Politico reported.

Earlier Monday the White Home mentioned that Biden will host the prime ministers of Australia, India and Japan in Washington on September 24.

The United Nations’ Common Meeting on February 22, 2021. (AP/AETOSWire)

The diplomatic grouping dubbed the Quad — or Quadrilateral Safety Dialogue — is seen as a bid to counterbalance China’s rising financial and army attain within the Asia-Pacific area.

Quad leaders held on-line talks in March, and ministers from the 4 nations have additionally held in-person discussions.

The White Home assembly nonetheless would be the first in-person summit and can carry collectively Biden, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia.

“The Quad Leaders can be centered on deepening our ties and advancing sensible cooperation on areas reminiscent of combatting Covid-19, addressing the local weather disaster, partnering on rising applied sciences and our on-line world, and selling a free and open Indo-Pacific,” White Home spokeswoman Jen Psaki mentioned in an announcement, utilizing widespread diplomatic terminology used to consult with Chinese language regional ambitions.

Any talks between the 4 nations would doubtless additionally contact on Afghanistan, in addition to provide an opportunity to current a united entrance earlier than a G20 assembly in Rome in October, Japanese media mentioned.

Afghanistan

The chaotic finish to the 20-year US-led battle in Afghanistan in August has left Biden susceptible each domestically and internationally, with the withdrawal — seen as very unilateral by some — leaving its mark on Washington’s allies.

Beijing and Moscow haven’t missed the chance to query the power of US assist for nations which have put their safety in American arms.

Joe Biden, for his half, has reiterated repeatedly {that a} key cause for leaving Afghanistan was to focus US sources on the nice worldwide confrontation between democracies and authoritarian regimes.

With China a key concern, the president, nonetheless, doesn’t wish to be locked right into a head on confrontation.

Chinese language President Xi Jinping applauds through the closing session of the Nationwide Folks’s Congress in Beijing on Thursday, March 11, 2021 (AP Photograph/Sam McNeil)

He lately phoned Chinese language President Xi Jinping to make sure that communication channels stay open, with the talks coming as relations between the 2 are at a low level after butting heads on a spread of points together with nationwide safety, human rights and expertise.

Biden’s administration seems to be specializing in bolstering alliances, even when it means creating its personal multilateral dialogue boards.

Along with the September occasions — adopted by the G20 summit in Rome and the main UN local weather assembly COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in late October and early November — Biden can also be trying to collect world leaders for a digital “Summit for Democracy” in December.

The summit is being seen as a problem to China and a substitute for the standard G20 assembly. The record of contributors for the summit has to date not been revealed.