The foreign ministers of the United States, Australia, India and Japan will gather in Tokyo next week to discuss issues in the Indian Ocean, Pacific region, including the new coronavirus outbreak and the regional situation, Japan’s foreign minister said Tuesday.
The most populous democracies in the Indo-Pacific region, the United States, Australia, India and Japan, are also known as the Quad Group. The group is considered an international counterweight to China’s adherence to a one-party dictatorship. China has previously made clear its hostility to the G-4.
The October 6 meeting of the G-4 foreign ministers will be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Australian Foreign Minister Payne, Indian Foreign Minister Jason Su, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motoki.
The G4 foreign ministers’ meeting was one of the most visible diplomatic events of the Trump administration before the U.S. presidential election. Over the past two years, U.S. relations with China have deteriorated rapidly over issues such as trade, technology, security, the South China Sea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The U.S. response to China has also been a major issue in the U.S. election campaign.
At the same time, India’s relations with China are also under high tension due to the outbreak of a long-standing border dispute. Currently, India and China are trying to defuse tensions over the border standoff in the disputed Himalayas. Earlier, a confrontation between soldiers from both sides there resulted in the firing of gunshots. This is the first time since 1975 that shots have been fired along the border between the two sides.
In addition, China’s aggressive military posture in the South China Sea and its expansion in the South Pacific have also caused strong alertness in countries such as Australia.
For Japan, the gathering of the four foreign ministers in Tokyo was also the most important diplomatic event for Japan’s new Prime Minister Kan Yoshihide since he took office. Japan has maritime rights and territorial disputes with China in the East China Sea. China has continued to send fishing boats, coast guard vessels, and aircraft into the waters of the Senkaku Islands (also known as the Diaoyu Islands in China), which are under Japanese jurisdiction, drawing protests and vigilance from Japan.
Prime Minister Kan, who took office on September 6, spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping by phone on Friday. Both sides expressed their intention to work closely together to resolve various issues.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Maki said at a press conference on Tuesday, “This meeting between the foreign ministers of the United States, Australia, India and Japan is timely. The four countries share a common vision for regional affairs and will exchange views on the challenges. The idea of a free and open Indo-Pacific is increasingly important in a post-epidemic world. Therefore, we would like to reiterate the importance of further strengthening the four countries and working with many other countries to realize this vision.”
Toshimitsu Mogi added that he will hold separate bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of the United States, Australia, Australia and India.
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