NEW DELHI, Oct 6: At a time when both India and the United States are at loggerheads with China, though on different counts, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday held talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Tokyo, focusing on various aspects of bilateral ties and ways to deepen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in the wake of China’s growing assertiveness in the region.
Jaishankar and Pompeo are in Tokyo to attend a ministerial meeting of the Quad (Quadrilateral coalition) comprising India, the US, Australia and Japan.
The external affairs minister and his US, Australia and Japan counterparts also called on the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
“Began my Tokyo visit with a bilateral meeting with @SecPompeo. Pleased to see the progress of our partnership in so many fields. Will work together for stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar tweeted.
About the meeting with Suga, the external affairs minister said he mentioned the bilateral and global dimensions of special partnership between the two countries.
“Called on PM @sugawitter along with other Quad Foreign Ministers. Spoke about the bilateral and global dimensions of our special partnership,” he said.
While India’s ties with China have come under severe strain over the five-month border standoff in eastern Ladakh, the relationship between Beijing and Washington nosedived over trade dispute accentuated by the Corona pandemic and China’s military offensive in South China Sea.
In November, 2017, the four countries gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the “Quad” to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence.
The first meeting of foreign ministers of the four countries under the ‘Quad’ framework had taken place in New York in September 2019.
The Japanese capital city of Tokyo is the venue for the second ministerial meeting of the Quadrilateral coalition.
Last week, the Ministry of External Affairs had stated that the meeting on October 6 of the foreign ministers of the four countries was expected to collectively affirm the importance of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
During his two-day visit to Tokyo, Jaishankar will also hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi and Australian foreign minister Marise Payne.
(Manas Dasgupta)