US-China policy: Biden is bringing together Japan, Australia and India to stare down China - CNN

US President Joe Biden is holding the first in-person meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, better known as "the Quad," an informal strategic forum of the United States, Australia, Japan and India -- all democratic countries with a vested interest in countering China's rise in Asia.

Biden will be joined in Washington by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Indian leader Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to discuss "promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific," according to the White House.

The meeting comes at a time of great change for US policy in Asia.

"There's always a risk of going too far and tipping into provocation," he said.

AUKUS fallout

The Quad meeting might come at a useful moment for the US, Scott said -- there's never been a better time for Washington to show it is part of a broad, cohesive community in Asia.

Scott said while he believed the AUKUS agreement had been a positive step for US diplomacy in Asia, it had also presented a very "Anglosphere" face to the region.

"It is self described as a club of maritime democracies which automatically excludes most of Southeast Asia," Scott said.

A day later, Malaysia said the AUKUS deal could provoke other powers to "act more aggressively in the region, especially the South China Sea."

By being part of a larger cooperative agreement with Japan and India, Scott said the US can present a more diverse face to Southeast Asia, among other parts of the continent -- one that isn't solely concentrated on military brinksmanship but also economic and political cooperation.

Beijing has pointed to the AUKUS deal as an example of how Washington is only focused on military power in Asia, Scott said.