Leaders of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan, released a lengthy joint statement on Friday, in part declaring their commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific” that is “undaunted by coercion” amid continued efforts from communist China to wrestle influence over the globe. The statement from leaders of “the Quad,” or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, was released shortly after their first-ever in-person meeting, which lasted two hours at the White House in Washington, D.C. The Quad was originally established in 2007 and has periodically met since. The strategic dialogue between the democratic countries is widely viewed as a response to communist China’s rising economic and military power. “On this historic occasion we recommit to our partnership, and to a region that is a bedrock of our shared security and prosperity—a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is also inclusive and resilient,” reads the statement from President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister …