THE SQUIZ
It turns out US President Biden wasn’t snubbing PM Anthony Albanese… They met in Japan over the weekend, with Biden apologising for cancelling his planned Sydney visit. The pair were able to sneak away from the G7 leaders summit with Japan’s leader Fumio Kishida and India’s Narendra Modi for a quick Quad meeting that was meant to be held in Sydney this week. Under discussion: China. Sort of… They released a lengthy statement that didn’t mention China by name but reaffirmed a joint commitment to “a region that is peaceful and prosperous, stable and secure, and respectful of sovereignty.” Separately, G7 leaders said they want to “de-risk, not decouple” from China, and they also want the nation to knock off its threats against Taiwan and expansion into the South China Sea – a call Albanese backed. 

DID ANYTHING ELSE COME OUT OF IT? 
Heaps, and we’ll get onto Russia/Ukraine in a sec… Biden and Albanese also got some time to themselves and used it to sign a new agreement. And take a  breath before you attempt to say it – it’s called the Australia-United States Climate, Critical Minerals, and Clean Energy Transformation Compact… Long story short, it aims to coordinate supply chains between our nations such that Australia can become a key global supplier of the resources needed for clean energy production to help the US become a net-zero economy. Senior Coalition Senator Simon Birmingham backed the deal, saying, “It’s essential to work cooperatively with our partner nations.”

SO WHAT’S NEXT?
Even though Biden is no longer coming to Sydney, Indian PM Narendra Modi will head here this week. Well, he could hardly cancel his stadium tour, could he? Modi will speak to an audience of more than 20,000 at Sydney Olympic Park on Wednesday, amongst other events. But it won’t all be smooth sailing – reports say some in the Indian diaspora have questions about Modi’s treatment of Muslims. Looking locally, federal parliament is back this week, and there is a lot to pick up following the Budget a fortnight ago and Aussies saying the cost of living is their #1 priority… And further down the track, Anthony Albanese said he will travel to China later this year as negotiations to lift trade sanctions continue. At least our leader is getting some pretty good meals out of it…