MELBOURNE, Australia — Overshadowed by a crisis half a world away, leaders of the United States and three of its major Indo-Pacific allies agreed Friday to shore up defenses aimed at slowing China's domination of the region.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, wrapping up a day of meetings meant to revive U.S. focus on Asia, said he and his counterparts from Australia, Japan and India vowed to protect "the right of all countries to choose their own path, free from coercion."
"Coercion" is something of a code word for Chinese efforts to bully other countries in the region. The four countries meeting here in this laid-back southern Australian city form the so-called Quad, a recently resuscitated coalition established as a counterbalance to China's expansion of political and military control.
