Quad Leaders Commit to a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ Amid Concerns Over China Influence

Leaders of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan, released a lengthy joint statement on Friday, in part declaring their commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific” that is “undaunted by coercion” amid continued efforts from communist China to wrestle influence over the globe. The statement from leaders of “the Quad,” or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, was released shortly after their first-ever in-person meeting, which lasted two hours at the White House in Washington, D.C. The Quad was originally established in 2007 and has periodically met since. The strategic dialogue between the democratic countries is widely viewed as a response to…