Quad group expands maritime security cooperation at Biden's farewell summit

Leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States expanded joint security steps in Asia's trade-rich waters as outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden hosted counterparts from the Quad grouping established due to shared concerns about China.

Biden, meeting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese near his Delaware hometown on Saturday, stressed the importance of maintaining the Quad, which he sees as a signature foreign policy achievement. He will leave office after the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.

The leaders announced joint coast guard operations next year that will include Australian, Japanese and Indian personnel spending time on a U.S. coast guard vessel. The countries plan increased military logistics cooperation, officials said. They did not comment on where the coast guard activity would take place.

The leaders also planned to expand an Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness launched two years ago.

While the White House said the Quad summit was directed at no other country and that Beijing should find no issue with the initiative, Biden started the summit's group session with a briefing on China. In a joint statement that did not name the Chinese government by name, the leaders condemned "coercive and intimidating maneuvers in the South China Sea."

Analysts said new maritime security initiatives would send a message to Beijing and represent a further shift of emphasis of the Quad's activities to security issues, reflecting growing concerns about China's intentions.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has objected to the Quad grouping as an effort to encircle Beijing and ramp up conflict.

Biden described Beijing