Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tuesday that U. S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will meet for talks on October 6.
Motegi said the four ministers talk about tactics to announce “a flexible and open Indo-Pacific,” a concept of security and economic cooperation that Japan and the United States have pushed against China’s growing assertiveness in the region.
“It is very opportune for the four chancellors who share the same considerations about the regional situation,” said Motegi, who said they talk about the coronavirus and the pandemic-affected economy and other regional considerations.
“The vision of a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ will be even more so in a post-coronavirus world,” he said. “To achieve this, I look forward to verifying in the next assembly the importance of deepening our cooperation with other countries. “
Motegi said the new Japanese prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, could also meet with Pompeo outside of talks at his first assembly in person with a senior foreign official since taking office. Suga is also expected to meet with the foreign ministers of Australia and India.
Suga took two weeks ago, replacing Shinzo Abe, who resigned as prime minister, bringing up health deficiencies.
The four strategic partners held talks with foreign ministers in September last year in New York.
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