Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his new government's position on climate change has been welcomed by Australia's key allies.
Speaking to the media before flying from Tokyo to Canberra following the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) leaders' summit, Mr Albanese said he was "particularly warmed" with the reception he received during Tuesday’s bilateral meetings.
"There are many consistencies in Australia’s national security positions. But there are some differences with the former Australian government, particularly when it comes to climate change," he said.
"And the new government that I lead, its position was welcomed by the leaders of the United States, Japan and India. I look forward to going forward and building those relationships."
The new prime minister spruiked his government's promise to tackle climate change, including loftier targets for emissions reductions compared to his predecessor Scott Morrison.
Mr Albanese added that Australia would host next year’s Quad leaders’ summit and that he looked forward to tackling "domestic issues" in the coming days.
Joe Biden and Anthony Albanese swap jokes in first meeting
US President Joe Biden and Anthony Albanese swapped banter, reminiscences, and even sleeping advice in their first meeting since Mr Albanese's election win.
Mr Biden, who has deepened US ties with Australia as part of a strategy to contain China, called the US-Australian alliance "an anchor of stability and prosperity" in the Asia-Pacific.
According to a readout from the White House, their behind-doors discussions covered topics such as the AUKUS security pact between Australia, Britain and the United States, and efforts to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
In public exchanges, however, Mr Biden opened by joking that his counterpart, elected just last weekend, has "been on the job a long time".
He expressed admiration that Mr Albanese decided to fly to Tokyo for the Quad meeting so soon after his election win, saying it showed Australia is "all-in" on the relationship.
"You were sworn in and got on a plane," Mr Biden said.
"If you fall asleep while you're here, it's OK, because I don't know how you're doing it. It's really quite extraordinary - just getting off the campaign trail as well."
Mr Albanese showed no fatigue as he launched into his own banter.
Lauding how the two countries are "great friends", he recalled visiting the United States many years ago as a "young fellow" on a State Department invitational program to experience the country.
While on the trip, he conducted research into the diversity of US society, studying groups ranging from the National Rifle Association gun lobby to Planned Parenthood, which promotes abortion access.
It was, Mr Albanese said to laughter, "the full kit and caboodle across the spectrum".
China and Russia fly warplanes near Japan's airspace during Quad summit
Russian and Chinese bombers flew joint patrols near Japanese and South Korea air defence zones on Tuesday in a pointed farewell to United States President Joe Biden as he concluded a trip to Asia that rankled Beijing.
The patrols came hours after Mr Biden angered China by saying he would be willing to respond militarily to defend Taiwan if it came under Chinese attack, and as he discussed responses to Russia's invasion of Ukraine with leaders of the Quad, which groups the US with Australia, India, and Japan.
Japan said it scrambled jets after Russian and Chinese warplanes neared its airspace while Tokyo was hosting the Quad leaders. Tokyo called the drills a provocation.
It was the first joint military exercise by China and Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine on 24 February according to a senior US official, and it came at the end of Mr Biden's four-day trip to South Korea and Japan.
"China is not walking away from Russia. Instead, the exercise shows that China is ready to help Russia defend its east while Russia fights in its west," the official said.
An undated photo shows a carrier-based J-15 fighter jet preparing to land on the Chinese navy's Liaoning aircraft carrier during open-sea combat training. Credit: Anonymous/AP
He said the exercise was likely planned well in advance and showed that the "no-limits" strategic partnership Beijing and Moscow declared weeks before the Ukraine invasion was "quite alive and well."
"On the other hand the president’s successful visit ... demonstrates a stark contrast to what we've seen from Russia and China; it demonstrates our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region," he said.
Mr Biden's trip was part of US efforts to push back against what Washington calls Beijing's "coercive" behaviour, including against Taiwan, a self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own.
He vowed that Washington would stand with allies and partners to push for a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
At a news conference on Monday, Mr Biden said "yes" when asked if he would be willing to respond militarily to a Chinese attack on Taiwan, seeming to break with a long-held policy of not making clear how the United States might react.
It was the latest in a series of apparently off-the-cuff assertions that suggest his personal inclination is to defend the island, although Biden said US policy had not changed.
Clear message
Some critics have said he has misspoken or made a gaffe. But other analysts have suggested given Joe Biden's extensive foreign policy experience and the context - he was speaking next to the Japanese prime minister and while the war in Ukraine raged on - he had not spoken in error.
Analysts and advisers said Mr Biden went to Asia with a clear message for China not to try what Russia did in Ukraine anywhere in the region, especially not Taiwan.
The joint patrol lasted 13 hours over the Japanese and East China seas and involved Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers and Chinese Xian H-6 bombers, Russia's defence ministry said.
Japanese and South Korean air force planes shadowed the Russian and Chinese aircraft for part of the exercise, it said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wave ahead of their talks at a summit of the Quad group of Indo-Pacific democracies in Tokyo on 24 May 2022. Credit: AP
A US official said Chinese naval vessels likely participated in the drills.
Tokyo conveyed "grave concerns" to both Russia and China through diplomatic channels, its Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi told a news conference.
"We believe the fact that this action was taken during the Quad summit makes it more provocative than in the past," he said.
The Quad meeting brought Mr Biden together with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australia's newly elected leader, Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
In a joint statement, the leaders said they "discussed their respective responses to the conflict in Ukraine and the ongoing tragic humanitarian crisis." But in an apparent concession to India, which maintains close ties with Moscow, the words "Russia" or "Russian" did not appear.
'Act of defiance'
Daniel Russel, the top US diplomat for East Asia during the Obama administration, said sending military jets near Japan’s airspace while Joe Biden and other leaders were there was "a petulant act of defiance by Beijing and Moscow against the growing solidarity among the major democratic powers."
Rand Corporation analyst Derek Grossman said the drills were "clearly designed to signal Beijing’s frustration with the Quad summit and all of President Biden’s proceedings over the last few days."
He said Moscow could also be returning the favour after Beijing supported the Russian narrative that the United States and NATO are to blame for the Ukraine war.
South Korea said at least four Chinese and four Russian warplanes entered its air defence zone several times during the day.
In a meeting on Sunday, its new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, and Biden pledged support for measures seen as countering China's regional influence and criticised Russia's war in Ukraine.
