Mike Pompeo 'looking forward' to discussing increased cooperation at QUAD meet

Ahead of the second ministerial meeting of the Quad countries, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on October 4 said that he is looking forward to discussing cooperation to promote a shared vision for open and free Indo-Pacific. Pompeo on Sunday took-off from the United States for his two-day trip to East Asia, where he will visit Tokyo and will meet with the foreign ministers of Japan, India, and Australia for discussing issues of mutual concerns.

Read: EAM S Jaishankar To Visit Japan For QUAD Ministerial Meeting, Bilateral Consultations

Pompeo will also meet with his Japanese counterpart separately to discuss bilateral issues and US-Japan relations. Pompeo was earlier scheduled to visit Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar and Seoul, South Korea for meetings with senior officials, but the plan had to be cancelled after US President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on October 2. Secretary Pompeo is scheduled to return to Washington, DC, on October 6. As far as the Quad meeting is concerned, Pompeo had earlier said that he is "looking forward" to it and is anticipating productive meetings. 

Read: Quad Nation Foreign Ministers To Discuss Thwarting China's Aggression In Indo-Pacific

Why is Quad important?

The Quad meeting is one of the important highlights of Pompeo's trip as it comes amid the heightened tensions between the United States and China. The grouping is counter to China's growing military ambitions in the Indo-pacific region. The skirmishes with India at the Himalayan border and souring relations between Beijing and Canberra also make this Quad meeting an important development for all the countries involved. 

Read: Pompeo Shortens Asia Trip; To Visit Only Japan For QUAD Foreign Ministers Meet

The Quad or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) was set up in 2007 but died down due to the withdrawal of Australia. However, in 2017 it was reestablished again following negotiations between the US, India, Japan, and Australia. Leaders of the four countries during the 2017 ASEAN meet had agreed to revive the quadrilateral grouping over China's aggression in the South China Sea. 

Read: Mike Pompeo 'looking Forward' To Visiting Tokyo For 'productive' QUAD Meeting