Quad Leaders Reaffirm Commitment to Indo-Pacific Peace Amid China Threats

The leaders of the Quad group, comprising Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, delivered a thinly veiled swipe at China's behaviour at a summit in Hiroshima. The joint statement called for "peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain" and expressed serious concern at China's militarization of disputed features and the dangerous use of coastguard and maritime militia vessels. The Quad leaders stressed their support for infrastructure improvements across the vast Asia-Pacific region, while saying they would not impose unsustainable debt burdens on recipients of assistance.