Senior diplomats from the US, Australia, Japan and India are holding talks in Melbourne to deepen their Quad alliance, hoping to contain China's rising power in the Asia-Pacific region, AFP reported.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison stressed the group's importance in building cooperation between democracies, hinting in subtle ways at his country's difficult relationship with Beijing.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that while the Russian threat to Ukraine now occupies Washington, in the longer term, the problem lies in the growing power of China.

The Melbourne meetings aim to deepen cooperation in other areas as well, such as fighting Covid-19 and coordinating on critical information technology issues, including the global rollout of 5G telecommunications networks.

Blinken said attendees are looking to develop a positive vision for a range of issues, such as harmonizing technology standards and cooperation on health and climate change.