Representatives from the US, India, Japan, and Australia are set to meet next week in Tokyo in a show of unity aimed at China. The four countries are part of an informal alliance known as the Quad.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne are expected to take part in the meeting on October 6th.
The meeting comes as tensions between the US and China are the highest they have been in decades. Relations between India and China are also at a low-point after a clash between the two nuclear powers at the disputed Himalayan border.
Japan’s Motegi said topics to be discussed include the coronavirus pandemic and the overall situation in the region. “The Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision is increasingly important in the post Covid-19 world so we would like to confirm the importance of further deepening the collaboration among us and many other countries to realize the vision,” Motegi said at a news conference.
With China seen as the number one threat to US global hegemony, Washington is looking to form a strong alliance in the region to counter China. US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun recently suggested that the Quad could be the beginning of a NATO-style alliance in East Asia.
Willing vassals putting MAGA first. Even some Indians are now on board after the minor skirmish in the north.