WASHINGTON/SYDNEY -- The U.S. is reaching out to regional powers in the Indo-Pacific, holding consecutive "two-plus-two meetings" -- involving foreign affairs and defense chiefs -- with Australia and India, as it contends with China's growing influence in the region.
"I don't think anyone should underestimate the United States' continued commitment" to a free and open Indo-Pacific, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a joint news conference on Tuesday after meeting Australian ministers in Palo Alto, California.