Who is winning the room? Who is winning the region? Joe Biden has inflation and an uphill battle to the midterms back home, but that is no bother for Indo-Pacific allies. Monday saw the launch of a regional trade partnership and plans for a partnership to stare down maritime threats. Tuesday will see a Tokyo summit of the Quad, which despite its denials, looks more and more like the far east's answer to NATO. The alliance brings together the leaders of the US, Japan, India and Australia.
We ask about the Quad's new guy, Australia's freshly-elected PM Anthony Albanese, and whether the language will be as blunt as with his predecessor.
We also gauge reaction out of Beijing. Xi Jinping's government has to contend with scrutiny on several fronts, with the UN human rights chief visiting Xinjiang province and business leaders anxious over a zero-Covid policy that's disrupting global chains to the point where some are even contemplating pulling out of China. In the long run, will it all matter? Does China need to soften its image, or will it simply double down?
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laurain and Louise Guibert.
