U.S., Japan, Australia, India agree to boost free, open Indo-Pacific

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed Tuesday with his counterparts from Japan, Australia and India to strengthen a free and open Indo-Pacific, just hours after he was sworn in as Washington's top diplomat.Following a meeting of the grouping known as the Quad, the four foreign ministers released a joint statement saying that "the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty, and territorial integrity" should be upheld in the region, where China is increasingly seen as engaging in assertive behavior.The meeting in Washington was the first major diplomatic event of the second presidency o…READ FULL ARTICLE