Pompeo arrives in Tokyo for QUAD talks, hails Japan PM during shortened trip

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hailed Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as a “force of good” during his curtailed visit to Tokyo for bilateral and QUAD consultations. Pompeo’s scheduled visit to South Korea and Mongolia during his trip to Asia was scrapped after US President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19. Foreign ministers of India, Japan, Australia, and the United States are set to participate in the second QUAD security dialogue on October 6.

“Prime Minister Suga was a powerful force for good, and for this relationship, too, when he was the chief cabinet secretary,” Pompeo said at the start of a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

Pompeo and Motegi said that they will lead a regional initiative “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” to counter China’s assertiveness in the region. The strategic alliance of QUAD was also formed to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and check China’s expansionist efforts in the region, which has become a major cause of concern for a rules-based order. 

“I hope Japan and the US will lead the international society to achieve the Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” said Motegi.

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Suga's challenge

Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe focussed on strengthening ties with traditional allies like the United States, Australia and India, but he also did a balancing act by not letting Japan’s relationship with China sour. Beijing will be looking closely at Suga as China has been cornered in the post-pandemic world over various issues including coronavirus outbreak and human rights violation in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.  

The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier said that the four countries will discuss the post-COVID-19 international order and the need for a coordinated response to the various challenges emerging from the pandemic. A face-to-face meeting between the foreign ministers of the visiting nations and the newly-elected Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is also being arranged.

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(With AP Inputs)