US President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a “brave man” after telling stories of visiting the National Rifle Association and planning a fatherhood movement during a trip to the states.
The pair sat down Tuesday following a meeting of Quad leaders in Tokyo, including Biden, Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
During their relaxed meeting, the two leaders discussed their strong commitment to the ANZUS alliance.
Albanese then recalled his trip to the United States when he was in his twenties, where he had the opportunity to “immerse himself” in the policies and culture of the country’s government.
After his story, Biden suddenly stood up and pretended to leave.
“You are a brave man,” Biden said before shaking the prime minister’s hand.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met US President Joe Biden during Tuesday’s Quad Summit in Japan.
“I had an agenda and I wanted to see the groups’ interaction with the U.S. government,” Mr. Albanese said.
“From the National Rifle Association to the Sierra Club to Planned Parenthood, the entire team and the entire spectrum.”
Albanese went on to explain more about his trip and the places he visited.
“It was an opportunity to see all the diversity of the way the country operates,” he said.
‘It was a chance to really immerse myself. On the way back I had briefings about safety in Hawaii.
During their exchange, Albanese said he had visited the United States to “immerse” himself in government interactions and Biden called the prime minister a “brave man.”
Albanese said his government is committed to the US-Australia alliance, to which Biden said the prime minister was “a great guy”.
“The US State Department was kind enough to also justify a trip to Las Vegas.”
He then said he was committed to the US-Australia alliance and had previously established relationships with US politicians.
‘It was a good trip. My government is very committed to the alliance,’ he stated.
‘I was part of the government that brought the US Marines to Darwin under Julia Gillard. It was very important to really strengthen our relationship.
The last time I met with your vice president. I have known some of his colleagues for some time.
At an earlier news conference on Tuesday, Biden signaled a possible policy shift by confirming questions that he would militarily defend Taiwan from invasion.
The light-hearted discussion of “alliance” followed Biden’s indication of a possible change in US policy regarding China’s relationship with Taiwan.
During a joint news conference Tuesday with Japanese President Fumio Kishida, Biden was asked: “You didn’t want to get involved militarily in the Ukraine conflict for obvious reasons.” Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if the need arises?
Mr. Biden said; “Yes, that is the commitment we made.”
Albanese also touched on China’s growing presence in the Pacific region while discussing his government’s shift in climate policy.
Albanese also discussed China’s growing presence in the Pacific region and called climate change a “national security issue.”
“We know that China is trying to exert more influence in the Pacific and we know that climate change is a very important issue,” he said.
‘I share the view that this is a matter of national security. Climate change is not just about the environment.
‘It’s about the shape of our economy, but also about our national security going forward.
‘Our position is very clear. We want peace and stability in the region.
“The best way to achieve this is through proper diplomatic processes, ensuring that we build relationships in the region and act positively.”