Japan Hosts Meetings with Foreign Ministers of the United States, Australia, and India

Toshimitsu Motegi, Foreign Minister of Japan, confirmed a strong partnership with the foreign ministers of the United States, Australia, and India. (Wiki Commons)

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi held in-person meetings with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on October 6. In Suga’s first face-to-face meeting with top foreign officials since his inauguration, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) countries confirmed strong regional ties.

When China intensified its actions to assert control over the South and East China Seas, the four countries formed the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to forge a common strategy to constrain China’s ambition and preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The Quad countries have previously held semi-regular summits and joint military drills. 

The four countries convened for the first time since September 2019 as the relations of Australia and India’s relations with China are deteriorating. China had put restrictions on imports from Australia ever since Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an inquiry into the origin of COVID-19. The relations between India and China have also been turbulent as the countries clashed along their disputed border in June.

Throughout the meetings, Suga emphasized his commitment to the partnership among the Quad countries. He first met with Pompeo at the Prime Minister’s office and shared the understanding that Japan and the U.S. should collaborate with like-minded countries for the sake of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Thereafter, Suga spoke with Pompeo, Payne, and Jaishankar about the importance of cooperation among the four countries in keeping the peace and stability in the region.

Later that day, the foreign ministers of Japan, the United States, Australia, and India held a meeting for about three hours. They mostly discussed topics regarding China, including the Chinese military outposts in the South China Sea and cybersecurity. 

Motegi also stressed the importance of the four countries’ partnership, saying that they all have the responsibility to advance free and open international order because they “share the basic values such as democracy, rule of law, and free economy.”

Payne points out that in the efforts to promote an open Indo-Pacific and to recover from the pandemic, “Australia has no more important partners than Japan, the United States, and India.”

While the other ministers avoided criticizing China, Pompeo condemned China, asserting, "it is more critical now than ever that we collaborate to protect our people and partnerships from the Chinese Communist Party's exploitation, corruption and coercion."

The ministers agreed that they strengthen cooperation over areas such as maritime security and cybersecurity and hold Quad meetings on a regular basis. However, they did not reach a joint statement.

Before the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin warned of the formation of an “exclusive clique” that would harm third party interests.