(Sept 22): President Joe Biden was caught on a hot mic saying China is “testing” the US and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region during a Quad leaders’ summit — even as the bloc’s members in their public remarks sidestepped the idea that they are a counterweight to Chinese influence.

The Quad leaders, Biden and prime ministers Narendra Modi of India, Fumio Kishida of Japan and Anthony Albanese of Australia, kicked off their meeting with warm words for their counterparts and no explicit mention of their regional rival. Once reporters were escorted out of the room, they turned to their first topic: China.

“We believe Xi Jinping is looking to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimize the turbulence in China,” Biden told the leaders about his Chinese counterpart in opening remarks Saturday, a portion of which were publicised by the official audio feed in an apparent error. Biden added that Xi is “looking to buy himself some diplomatic space, in my view, to aggressively pursue China’s interest.”

“China continues to behave aggressively, testing us all across the region” on several fronts, “including on economic and technology issues,” Biden added. “At the same time, we believe intense competition requires intense diplomacy.”

The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the audio.

The summit comes in the waning months of Biden’s presidency — and Kishida’s premiership — and as the US rolls out a series of moves aimed at countering Chinese influence. They include finalising new tariffs on certain industries, such as electric vehicles, while cracking down on e-commerce shipments and on steel and aluminum reaching the US through Mexico.

The Quad meeting, while not focused only on China, fits into that overall push. Biden cited National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s recent visit to China in his remarks before the feed was cut off.

“We’ve secured some gains in US-China about bilateral relations that are important,” Biden said.

Leaders and officials publicly downplayed the idea that the summit’s focus is on Beijing.

“China is not the focus of the Quad and the Quad is not about one country, it is about a larger vision that we’re trying to work towards,” Sullivan told reporters earlier Saturday.

In the public opening remarks that began the meeting, the leaders avoided specific mention of China but alluded to regional tensions.

“We are not against anybody,” Modi said. “All of us support a rules-based international order, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and peaceful resolution of all disputes.”

Albanese said the promise of the Indo-Pacific region “does depend on continued peace and stability, and wise management of strategic competition and disputes.”

In a joint statement, the leaders announced several joint initiatives with the Quad Cancer Moonshot taking centre stage, an effort to collaborate and save lives from cancer in the region. It will initially focus on cervical cancer.

On maritime security, the leaders announced a training initiative to provide tools to help nations “monitor and secure their waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behavior.” The US Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard, Australian Border Force, and Indian Coast Guard will start an observer program next year to “to improve interoperability and advance maritime safety,” according to the statement.

Another initiative, the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership, aims to support “sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development” in the region. The leaders discussed a wide range of issues, including the threat of North Korea, US officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private sessions.

The group pledged deeper cooperation on climate and clean energy issues, including money to support solar projects and to diversify supply chains.  Leaders are also providing funding for joint research to harness artificial intelligence and robotics to boost agriculture.

Turnover looms for the Quad, with Kishida departing, Biden following in January and Albanese facing elections next year. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has long been wary of US alliances he thinks are lopsided, but leaders dismissed questions about whether the Quad could survive.

“It will survive way beyond November — way beyond November,” Biden told reporters. Albanese said he was “absolutely confident” the Quad would endure. “All four nations are committed to the Quad,” he told reporters.

The summit included personal touches by Biden. He hosted each of the three prime ministers personally at his Wilmington, Delaware-area home, where he had not previously hosted fellow leaders as president, before taking them to the meeting held at his old school.

The meeting began with a friendly air.

Modi called Biden “Amtrak Joe,” a nickname he earned as a prolific rail commuter while in the US Senate, while Biden called Kishida “my good friend.”

Albanese and Biden joked that their headmasters would be shocked to see them at a summit held at a school.

At one point, Biden was overheard telling the Australian prime minister: “If we get bored, we can go downstairs to the bowling alley.”

Uploaded by Magessan Varatharaja