Quad 2020: Japan's FM to celebrate birthday with counterparts, presents craft cake

Just how special this year's 'Qu' meeting of India, United States, Australia, and Japan went can be summed up by a crafty 'Happy Birthday' cake for latter's foreign minister that will be cut on Wednesday.

Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi took to Twitter to share im of his birthday cake along with or ims of Qu meeting held in Tokyo on Tuesday. He said meeting, that lasted for three hours, discussed concrete promotion of 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific' and regional situation including rth Korea, East China Sea, and South China Sea and agreed to make such meetings regular.

" Japan-US-Australia-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held for about 3 hours. We discussed concrete promotion of 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific' and regional situation including rth Korea, East China Sea and South China Sea, and agreed to make this meeting regular. At dinner party tomorrow, I'll celebrate my birthday by cutting a cake," a roughly translated Japanese statement re.

In a Facebook post, foreign minister said leers exchanged opinions on how to deal with issues arising out of Coronavirus pandemic and continue to cooperate on matters such as creation of new international rules on fields ranging from health and hygiene to global digital ecomy.

"In dition, we will expand cooperation with more countries toward realization of a "free and open Indo-Pacific", as well as high-quality infrastructure, maritime security, anti-terrorism, cybersecurity, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, education, etc. We agreed to furr promote practical cooperation in various fields, including human resource development," Toshimitsu Motegi said.

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Eyeing China, Qu discuss new strategic gameplan

China, Chinese expansionism, coronavirus, and Indo-Pacific were four keywords that buzzed around in Tuesday's path-breaking 'Qu' summit. Donning masks and bumping elbows, foreign ministers of India, Japan, United States, and Australia presented a united front to rebalance China in region and establish a new strategic gameplan for a post-Coronavirus world.

In his remarks, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted  fact that se leers are meeting in Tokyo in person despite a global pandemic is a "testimony to importance that se consultations have gained". "Our world, you will all agree, is significantly different today than what it was when we met last year in New York in September," he said in reference to an informal Qu meeting on sidelines of United Nations General Assembly in 2019.

Jaishankar pointed out that being wide-brimmed and pluralistic democracies with shared values, four nations have affirmed collectively importance of maintaining a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

"We remain committed to upholding rules-based international order underpinned by rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in international seas, and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and peaceful resolution of disputes. Our objective remains vancing security and ecomic interests of all countries having legitimate and vital interests in region," EAM said.

In a more overt reference to China, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said as partners in Qu, "it is more critical w more than ever that we collaborate to protect our people and partners from Chinese Communist Party's exploitation, corruption, and coercion."

He highlighted Beijing's aggressive posture and belligerence in South and East China Sea, in  Mekong river with regards to ASEAN countries, Himalayas, and with Taiwan.

When asked about rising Si-US tensions over Taiwan, Pompeo said events re is t about US versus China but is about "freedom or tyranny". "This is t a rivalry between United States and China. This is for soul of world. This is about wher this will be a world that operates in this sense that we’re – on a rules-based international order system or one that’s dominated by a coercive totalitarian regime like one in China."

top American diplomat said that cooperation in region need t limit to Qu but expand to include ASEAN countries, many of whom spar with Beijing over South China Sea "I’m confident that se four countries will be real leers in pushing back against Chinese model for how to respond to this [corona]virus."

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