US President Joe Biden will host the first in-person Quad summit next week, where Prime Ministers of the Quad countries – Australia, India and Japan will take part. 

The summit of the four leaders will be held at the White House on September 24. 

The Quad coountries have been seeking to enhance cooperation to push back against China’s growing assertiveness. 

The summit will coincide with the United Nations General Assembly in New York. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian and Japan counterparts Scott Morrison and Yoshihide Suga are expected in the US next week. 

A virtual meeting of the Quad leaders was held in March this year, where they pledged to work closely on COVID-19 vaccines and climate. 

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The leaders also agreed to ensure free and open Indo-Pacific in the face of challenges from China. 

“Hosting the leaders of the Quad demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s priority of engaging in the Indo-Pacific, including through new multilateral configurations to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. 

The Quad meeting follows battering of US President Joe Biden’s image over the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.