WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, today welcomed the first in-person meeting of the leaders of the Quad nations, a four-nation strategic partnership that includes the United States, Japan, India, and Australia.
“I prioritized strengthening the Quad when I served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan in the Trump Administration, so I applaud President Biden, Prime Minister Suga, Prime Minister Modi, and Prime Minister Morrison for their continued commitment to expanding this critical strategic partnership,” said Senator Hagerty. “I saw first-hand the potential of this alliance to countering the predatory behavior of Communist China—diplomatically, economically, militarily—which should remain the Quad’s core mission. Preserving the free and open Indo-Pacific for the world rests at the feet of these four nations, and I am optimistic that today’s first in-person meeting will advance this common goal.”