U.S. President Joe Biden has scrapped a historic visit to Papua New Guinea as well as a trip to Australia for a summit with “Quad” leaders next week, with Biden returning to Washington on Sunday to deal with ongoing debt limit talks after attending the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima.
The White House said in a statement late Tuesday that Biden will return to the U.S. for meetings with congressional leaders “to ensure that Congress takes action by the deadline to avert default.”
The decision — which also prompted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to cancel the planned Quad summit — was seen as a self-inflicted blow to hopes of a more visible U.S. presence in the Indo-Pacific amid its competition with China in the region.