Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne met with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met on Saturday and reaffirmed their nation’s combined efforts to promote peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, amid concerns over China’s military and economic ambitions in the region. The two diplomats also “discussed deepening the U.S.-Australia alliance, the importance of committing to ambitious climate action in the next decade, and the need for like-minded allies and partners to continue to defend, strengthen, and renew democracy around the world,” state department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. In addition, they “expressed concern over Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and reiterated support for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues without resorting to threats or coercion and emphasized Taiwan’s important contributions to global health development,” Price said. He added that Blinken and Payne also “agreed on the importance of having a Senate-confirmed Ambassador in place” in Canberra—Australia’s capital city—”as …