Mike Pompeo in Japan for ‘quadruple’ meeting to counter China

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan in Tokyo to discuss how to counter China.

The “Quad meeting” comes as the four countries seek to form a front against an increasingly assertive China.

Before leaving the United States, Pompeo said the meeting was “something we’ve been working on for a long time.”

Bilateral ties between the United States and China have plummeted in recent months to their lowest point in decades.

This has led Washington to boost cooperation with regional allies.

The Quad group, represented by Toshimitsu Motegi from Japan, Marise Payne from Australia and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar from India, is expected to discuss topics such as the coronavirus pandemic and cyber security.

• Why US-China Relations Have Hit a Low
• Is the world entering a new Cold War?

“We look forward to discussing further cooperation to advance our shared vision of a free and open # IndoPacific, comprised of nations that are independent, strong and prosperous,” Pompeo tweeted as he left.

China had warned before the meeting against “exclusive cliques” targeting third parties.

“We hope that the relevant countries can proceed from the common interests of the countries of the region and do more things that lead to regional peace, stability and development, and not the other way around,” the spokesman for the Ministry of Relations told AFP. Foreign Ministry of China, Wang Wenbin.

What is quadruple grouping?

The Quadrilateral Initiative, informally dubbed the Quad, began in May 2007 with a meeting between the United States, Japan, India and Australia in the Philippine capital, Manila.

The informal grouping, championed by Japan’s then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was seen by analysts as an attempt to step up cooperation in the face of a rapidly growing China.

However, when Beijing sent formal protests about the Quad, its members said its “strategic partnership” was only aimed at maintaining regional security and was not targeting any particular country. The Quad group lost momentum and was only revived a few years ago.

Abe’s retirement in August once again casts doubt on the Quad’s future. Abe was replaced by Yoshihda Suga, and questions remain as to whether the new Japanese prime minister will show the same enthusiasm for the strategic grouping. Mr Suga is focused on economic reform and has little foreign policy experience, writes BBC Tokyo correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes.

Why it’s the Quad Meeting now?

This latest meeting comes at a time when the United States, India and Australia have experienced increasing tensions in their relations with China.

Since 2018, the United States and China have been embroiled in a bitter trade war and have faced multiple problems in recent months, including arrests for espionage, the coronavirus pandemic, and revoked Chinese student visas.

Australia’s ties with China have also deteriorated. In September, the last two reporters working in China for the Australian media were evacuated after a tense five-day diplomatic standoff.

And there have also been growing tensions between Beijing and Delhi along their disputed border in the Himalayan region. The June fighting saw the first fatal confrontation between the two sides since 1975.

• The border dispute between India and China explained in 400 words
• Australian reporters leave China ‘amid clash’

Alexander Neill, a Singapore-based Asia-Pacific security analyst, believes that the “real deal breaker” for the Quad cluster’s renewed momentum is due to “India buy-in.”

“In recent years there has been a lot of speculation about the quad becoming a formalized body. But it has been limited by India in particular, which is a traditional stalwart of the non-aligned movement,” he said.

The United States, on the other hand, has been “very consistent” with its messages under President Donald Trump, he added.

He has said that “China’s coercive actions would not only result in its self-isolation, but would spur like-minded friends and allies to unite. The gang is a manifestation of this.”

Neill hopes that Beijing will “accuse the United States of containment and Cold War mentality” and of building alliances “to stifle the legitimate rise of China.”

Japan’s new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, is expected to face a more delicate balancing act. Tokyo has seen a steady improvement in ties with Beijing, while also maintaining close relations with the United States, India and Australia.

Suga told reporters on Monday that he will seek to “promote a free and open Indo-Pacific” and also “build stable relations with neighboring countries, including China and Russia.”