President Joe Biden lied Sunday when he said he was responsible for establishing the Quad alliance: a diplomatic association that links the United States, Australia, India, and Japan in common political cause across the Indo-Pacific and South China Sea.
He told the lie at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan. Biden said: “I doubt many people…would’ve said that two years after being elected, I’d be able to convince India, Australia, Japan, and the United States to form an organization called the Quad.”
The claim is entirely at odds with history.
As was immediately pointed out by any number of observers, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD), commonly known as the Quad, was re-established in 2017 under the leadership of President Donald Trump.
The dialogue was formally initiated in 2007 by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with the support of Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a press conference, following the conclusion of the G7 Summit Leaders’ Meeting on May 21, 2023 in Hiroshima, Japan. The G7 summit will be held in Hiroshima from 19-22 May. (Kiyoshi Ota – Pool/Getty Images)
They built on a loose association that brought the countries together after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, when the four joined together to provide humanitarian and disaster assistance to the affected region.
It fell away soon after when Australia’s conservative coalition leader Howard lost office.
It then fell to Trump who revitalized the group with fresh purpose and initiative in 2017.
Joe Biden played no part in that.
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