The heads of state of the four countries in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, will meet virtually for the first time Friday.
It will be the first summit between U.S. President Joe Biden, Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
"That President Biden has made this one of his earlier multilateral engagements speaks to the importance we place on close cooperation with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific," said Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary.
"A range of issues...we expect to be discussed facing the global community from the threat of COVID to economic cooperation and of course the climate crisis."
Morrison said Friday's first Quad leaders' meeting was "historic" and sent a message about the four members' support for a sovereign and independent Indo-Pacific.
He said Quad played an important role for the stability of the Indo-Pacific where China continues to make expansive and illegal territorial claims.
"The Indo-Pacific is our world," Morrison said. "This is where Australia lives and our security, our peace and stability that all Australians rely on for their freedom and for them being able to live their lives in the way that they wish to in a liberal democracy such as Australia depends on the peace and stability of our region."
While not a formal military alliance like NATO, Quad has morphed into a de facto counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific. A move to transform Quad into a formal military pact is seen by some military experts as inevitable. The UK has indicated its intention to join Quad.
Quad, which is a 2017 initiative of former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, intends to establish an "Asian arc of democracy." This will include many countries in Asia - "virtually all the countries on China's periphery," according to Quad.
Morrison said Quad was very central to Australia and America's thinking about the Indo-Pacific.
"This will become a feature of Indo-Pacific engagement," Morrison said. "But it's not going to be a big bureaucracy with a big secretariat and those sorts of things. It will be four leaders, four countries, working together constructively for the peace, prosperity and stability of the Indo-Pacific, which is good for everyone in the Indo-Pacific."
Military cooperation between Quad member-states has been increasing over the past year through joint military drills and bilateral agreements.
