Australia will host the next Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with America, India, and Japan in February as it seeks to “actively shape and influence” the Indo-Pacific region and counter China’s ambitions. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will join India’s Foreign Minister ­Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hay­ashi in Melbourne, Australia for the next meeting of “the Quad.” Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Monday the Quad represented was working together to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region. “We are a vital network of liberal democracies co-operating to give our region strategic choices, with a focus on practical steps to build the resilience and sovereignty of all states,” Payne said, according to The Australian. “This is a further demonstration of the Morrison gov­ernment’s efforts to actively shape and influence our region and world by deepening partnerships at a time of strategic competition, threats to liberal international order, and …