Press conference - Philadelphia

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: It's great to have arrived in Philadelphia in advance of tomorrow's meeting I have with President Biden and then the Quad Leaders Meeting on Saturday. The Quad is an important body. It's one that's committed to peace and stability and security in the Indo-Pacific. Four great democracies driven by our common objectives that we have. So it will be an opportunity to talk directly to the leaders of the United States in President Biden, my friend Prime Minister Modi from India, and my friend Prime Minister Kishida of Japan. As well as having the four way discussions that we will have around those three themes - security, stability, but also opportunity as well. We'll be discussing ways in which we can provide further support in the region to developing nations. Including the action that we're taking together on climate change and supporting their energy security. The work that we do together in health and education, in lifting up the island nations of the Pacific, but other countries as well in our region. And it comes at an important time. We strive for peace, security and stability. As I said in my Shangri-La Dialogue address last year in Singapore, peace and security don't just happen. You've got to work on it. You've got to work for stability, and that is what the Quad focus will be over the next couple of days.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, if in November President Trump wins then all of this talk about stability and so on in the region is flipped on its head?

PRIME MINISTER: The election in the United States is, of course, a matter for the people of the United States. What I'm very confident of is that our relations with our friends here in the United States is a relationship between nations based upon our common values that we have and that it is not just a relationship between individuals - as strong as my relationship with President Biden has been. This will be the eleventh time that we've had the opportunity to meet, and I look forward to seeing him tomorrow.

JOURNALIST: The US President Joe Biden said that he's essentially trying to future proof the Quad. It seems to be all framed around election proofing this alliance. Are you concerned that if Donald Trump wins this election in November he will tear up and walk away from this alliance?

PRIME MINISTER: No, this is a relationship between our two great nations that was forged during World War Two. John Curtin, a great Labor Prime Minister, deserves the credit for defending our nation and looking towards America at that darkest of hours that Australia experienced. Ever since then, we have relied upon our friends in the United States, and they've been able to rely upon us as well. And just a week or so ago, I was there at the base in Perth aboard a nuclear powered submarine - Virginia Class submarine - that's being maintained there, getting its maintenance done, including with an Australian submariner who's been working on that the submarine. And it just shows how close the relationship is, and it will continue to be.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, The White House has said China will be high on the agenda during the discussions on Saturday. Do you agree with that? And do you think that the release we've seen in the past week of the footage of the interaction between a Chinese aircraft and an Australian aircraft is perhaps some sort of preemptive warning to Australia about Chinese strength?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we know that in our region there is strategic competition, and of course, that's a factor. When we look at the way that our region is operating the relations between the rise of China with nations in our region. But that is not the only focus. Of course, this is a focus on our four nations, the security and stability that democracies can provide, and we want to, with regard to China, my position is very clear. It's that we will cooperate when we can, we will disagree where we must, but we'll engage in our national interest. And that is something that has led to an improvement in the relationships with China, that doesn't mean there aren't differences there. There are. And we talk about them, and we discuss them in appropriate forums, and we discuss them very directly.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you'll be meeting over the course of these next two days with Narendra Modi. This will be a chance you have to speak to him face to face since Australia expelled an Indian nest of spies from our country. What will you be saying to him, to get an ally and a friend to cease and desist from that kind of spying on Australian soil?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I do is act diplomatically and have those discussions, and that will, no doubt, be something that is raised. But the relationship between Australia and India is a very strong one. I'll be talking with Prime Minister Modi about our Comprehensive Economic Partnership, we want to see concluded. We have had increased economic relations between our two great nations. We, of course, have the connections through our diaspora as well. It's the largest growing group of people in Australia, people of Indian heritage. And I spoke with Prime Minister Modi just a couple of weeks ago, in August, a few weeks ago now. I spoke with him after his re-election and congratulated him on his - on electing another term.

JOURNALIST: Did you raise the spying issue?

PRIME MINISTER: What I do is, I raise issues privately - is how that we deal with things diplomatically, and I'll continue to do so.

JOURNALIST: Your meeting with President Biden, the one on one - he is at the end of his term. So what do you hope to achieve, or what is the purpose of that meeting?

PRIME MINISTER: President Biden has been a great friend of Australia. He's been a champion of the Quad. He has been a strong advocate of an increase of US engagement in our region, in the Indo Pacific region. America is the largest investor in Australia, from any country. We will be discussing, of course, we have AUKUS, both Pillar One and Pillar Two, that are important. And it will be an opportunity for us to discuss a wide range of issues with President Biden. I very much look forward to seeing him,

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you haven't been to the UN yet since you've been in office. Why not go to New York next week for that? And did you consider trying to arrange a meeting with Donald Trump as Prime Minister Modi has also done next week?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm coming here just for the Quad. I have been to the overseas meetings that I have to go to. So, this year I will attend in the coming period, notwithstanding the ongoing election speculation that no doubt will appear from time to time. I will be going to the G20, to APEC, where Australia are strong participants. I will be attending, obviously, here the Quad. But also CHOGM is important. It's been held in our region, and we will host Their Majesties in October during their visit, the first visit, obviously, of His Majesty King Charles II as the Sovereign. That will be an important visit. And CHOGM in Samoa in our region, is very important that I go to. In addition to that, I hosted the ASEAN leaders in March in Melbourne. Every single ASEAN leader was there in Melbourne. I look forward to going to Laos, to ASEAN and the East Asia Summit is important as well. I have prioritised the visits that I have to make, and I know I get criticised for not doing more international travel. And the irony of that, when compared with some of the coverage of when I do travel, is not lost.

JOURNALIST: Sorry Prime minister, just on Donald Trump, that was second part of my question, whether you considered meeting with him?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm meeting the President of the United States, is Joe Biden, and I'll be meeting President Biden and meeting Prime Minister Kishida and Prime Minister Modi. That's the purpose of my visit here.

JOURNALIST: Just to follow up on the answer you gave before. So, you prioritise the visits that you have to make. Does that mean you don't see the UN as an important body?

PRIME MINISTER: No, it is important. Of course, it is an important body. But Penny Wong, our Foreign Minister, will be attending. I have had the opportunity to meet with the UN leadership at a range of forums, including - we'll be there at the G20, and I will continue to engage. But with domestic responsibilities I have as well I'm very conscious of, so I have limited to the extent possible. I had a big repair job to do with a number of nations, including France, after I was elected Prime Minister. In addition to that, I haven't been able to go to every forum. Richard Marles attended NATO. Penny Wong will do a fantastic job at the UN General Assembly.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can I just ask one last domestic but important question, does your Government plan any further relief, cost of living relief, for pensioners?

PRIME MINISTER: I'll have a lot to say next week about all of those issues -

JOURNALIST: Including pensions, Prime Minister?

PRIME MINISTER: I'll have a lot to say about the full range of issues. I note that I stick to the issues that I'm focused on over the next couple of days, and I'll continue to do that. These are important, and one of the reasons why I make sure I'm limiting some of my international travel so that I can deal with domestic issues, and I look forward to doing them next week, when I will be back in Canberra. But at a number of other locations as well. Thank you very much. And thank you to those journalists as well who've made the effort of travelling with us here. It's a long journey to come to the Quad, but it's important that we report back on what's happening here. And good to see some of the US based correspondents here as well. Thanks very much.

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