Secretary of State Antony Blinken and important allies are “voting with their feet” by travelling to Australia to focus on Indo-Pacific concerns, according to Australia’s foreign minister on Wednesday.

Blinken arrived in Melbourne, Australia, on Wednesday for a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, as well as their Indian and Japanese counterparts who make up the so-called “Quad.”

It will be the fourth such ministerial-level summit of an Indo-Pacific democracies group formed to confront China, and Blinken’s attendance makes him the most senior member of Biden’s administration to visit Australia.

The visit comes as tensions between Washington and Moscow over Ukraine continue to rise.

According to Payne, the event sends a message to Beijing that security in the Indo-Pacific region remains a significant problem for Washington.

According to Payne, who will host the meeting on Friday, the Quad ministers were “voting with their feet in terms of the priority that they attach to problems” crucial to the Indo-Pacific.