The second ministerial meeting of the Quadrilateral or Quad Security Dialogue is expected to be held in Tokyo early next month, people familiar with the developments said, and the meeting will be held in the context of China’s aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific. .
The meeting will take place at a time when the four members of the Quad have serious differences with China: India is involved in a border confrontation in Ladakh, the Australian government has pledged to stop projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI ), Japan is concerned about Chinese intrusions near the Senkaku Islands and the United States is embroiled in a trade war.
There has been no official news about the Quad meeting, and the Foreign Ministry said only that the four parties were in talks to decide the time and place. The people cited above said the meeting is expected to be held in the Japanese capital in early October.
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Quad members, especially India, Japan and Australia, have also stepped up their work to forge partnerships with like-minded countries in the region, or with interests in the Indian Ocean, with a view to increasing China’s assertiveness and aggressiveness.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said last week that India and Japan were seeking to cooperate on projects in Bangladesh and Myanmar as part of their efforts to work together in third countries.
India, Australia and France held their inaugural senior official trilateral dialogue, with a focus on building convergences in the Indo-Pacific, on September 9, the same day that India and Japan signed the Acquisition and Cross Services Agreement ( ACSA), an agreement for the reciprocal supply of supplies and services between its defense forces.
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China has eyed the Quad with suspicion, which was revived in 2017, especially after the group was raised to ministerial level in September last year.
The upcoming Quad meeting will also be the first high-level meeting to be held in Tokyo since March, when the Covid-19 pandemic halted virtually all travel by top government officials. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had played a key role in reactivating the Quad and holding the meeting in Tokyo is expected to be a sign that his successor Yoshihide Suga is expected to continue similar diplomatic and security policies, they said. the people cited above. .
Senior officials from the Quad countries have held several virtual meetings during the pandemic to share experiences and coordinate efforts to counter the Coronavirus.
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