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Image source,Reuters
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Japan this morning (October 6) Tokyo time. The objective of his trip was to participate in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) held by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the United States, Japan, India and Australia. meeting.
The “Quadruple Security Dialogue” is an informal strategic forum established by the United States, Japan, Australia and India. In addition to Pompeo, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also confirmed their attendance.
The media asked Pompeo if he would transit through Taiwan before boarding the plane, but Pompeo did not respond positively, saying only that he “has seen our itinerary.”
Pompeo has held talks with Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi after arriving in Japan. He will also meet with the new Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga.
According to an immediate report from Japan’s Kyodo News, after this morning’s meeting, the United States and Japan confirmed that China, which has increasingly frequent maritime activities, will promote the concept of a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Pompeo’s approach
After meeting with Toshimitsu Motegi, Pompeo said, “Japan-US relations are the foundation of regional security and peace.” He also stressed that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was a “very powerful figure” when he was cabinet minister, and he certainly will now. Continue to play an important role in relations between Japan and the United States.
Toshimitsu Motegi also called on the United States for continued assistance in the kidnapping of Japanese by North Korea. The two also exchanged views on fighting the new corona epidemic.
The issues discussed by the four foreign ministers in this “four-part security dialogue” include the regional situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
The analysis of the Japanese media noted that Pompeo’s participation in this meeting continues to target China politically and economically, as did his previous visit to Europe. But due to the Trump infection, it remains to be seen if there will be new information.
A shrinking trip to Asia
Pompeo announced that his test result was negative after Trump was infected. He still went to Tokyo as scheduled to participate in the four-part security dialogue. However, due to the infection of US President Trump (under US law, if Trump cannot take office, Pompeo is the fourth ranked successor), Pompeo shortened the original itinerary from four days to two days and canceled the visit to Korea. South and Korea. Visit to Mongolia.
Image source,Reuters
Due to US President Trump’s infection with Pompeo, he shortened the original itinerary from four days to two days and canceled his visits to South Korea and Mongolia.
Before boarding the plane, Pompeo told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in the United States, “We look forward to making some big announcements and making great things on this trip.”
But he did not reveal specific achievements or discuss details. “The timing of the meeting is very important. I am very happy that we finally have the meeting this week.”
“Little NATO in Asia”
In the context of continuing tensions in US-China relations, Washington has accelerated the deployment of the Indo-Pacific strategy. The quadripartite security dialogue of the so-called “Little Asian NATO” is one of the latest diplomatic strategies to avoid the blockade of China. But this move also sparked protests in China.
US Under Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said in September that the Indo-Pacific region lacks such a strong multilateral institution as NATO and hopes to normalize the quadripartite security dialogue mechanism to avoid challenges from China.
China’s Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui criticized in early September that the United States’ efforts to conquer Japan, India and Australia to form the “four-nation mechanism” were to “join an anti-China cabal and persecute a Cold War mentality. China does not cause trouble, it is not afraid of trouble, and it will not follow America.
According to Reuters analysis, while America’s allies in Asia support the general direction of blocking China, they do not necessarily pay fully for the “excessive” diplomatic statements and actions by Trump or Pompeo.
