TOKYO/SYDNEY -- Before his summit here Tuesday with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison took time to speak with Suga's predecessor, Shinzo Abe, the architect of the "free and open Indo-Pacific" concept.
The meeting signaled the importance of the idea, which gained traction under U.S. President Donald Trump. The increased maritime activity of China revived the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, between the U.S., Japan, India and Australia.