The navies of India, US, Japan and Australia are back together for Exercise Malabar
Coming together of India, Japan, the US and Australia under 'Quad' was very much in keeping with changing times, and a reflection of the evolving landscape of a multipolar world, S Jaishankar said
The four-nation naval exercise will be held later this year
"Of course, as we advance in this direction, there is an elephant in the room -China," the US Deputy Secretary of State said
Washington has been pushing for closer collaboration among the members of the so-called Quad grouping as a bulwark against China's growing regional influence
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The grouping still needs a cohesive agenda and structure
India, US, Japan, Oz to boost coordination to counter China in Indo-Pacific
Ahead of the event, Pompeo reiterated a charge made by the Trump administration that the coronavirus pandemic was made worse by a Chinese Communist Party's cover-up
In recent months, the stance on China has hardened, especially due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which originated in Wuhan.
US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, is travelling to Tokyo next week to participate in the second Quad ministerial meet
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Japan to attend the second meeting of the Quad foreign ministers
The meeting took place in the backdrop of China's growing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region
The talks are at a working level currently, but Japan would like to bring them to a higher level at some point, according to a person in Tokyo
"Exchanged views on responding to the Coronavirus challenge. Discussed meeting in the Quad format in the near future," he said
The resurgence of the Quad -- first conceived more than a decade ago during the Bush administration -- reflects growing unease over Chinese President Xi Jinping's more assertive foreign policy