WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden cited taking the Quad to the "next level" among the major foreign policy achievements of his outgoing administration and noted that hosting the leaders at his home for the last summit showed "we're really friends."
Biden on Monday said he strengthened America's bilateral and multilateral alliances and partnerships, such as NATO and the Quad; forged new ones, such as AUKUS with the United Kingdom and Australia, and weakened America's adversaries, such as Russia, China and Iran.
He also spoke at length about his decision to pull the US out of Afghanistan, ending the country's longest war.
"The United States is winning the worldwide competition compared to four years ago, " Biden said in a speech at the State Department.
"America is stronger. Our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are weaker."
"I've taken Quad to the next level, " Biden said, speaking specifically of the group the US forms with India, Australia and Japan.
He added that the last summit of the four group's leaders was to be held in New York during the UN meetings in September. But then there was a suggestion to hold at his home in Delaware.
"I said, why? So we can now, then people know we're really friends."
Biden hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at his home and school in Wilmington.
Biden did indeed take the group to the next level. After resurrecting the group in 2017, President Donald Trump's administration advanced it to the level of foreign minister. President Biden took it to the level of leaders as one of his first actions after moving into the White House in 2021. The group has since met several times at the summit level, both virtually and in person.