Washington: US State Secretary Antony Blinken said on Thursday that he discussed security in the Indo-Pacific region with his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s high week in New York.
“Excellent conversation with my friend Japanese Foreign Minister [Toshimitsu Motegi] at #UNGA. The United States and Japan are working together to promote peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and across the globe,” Blinken tweeted.
Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that the ministers discussed the expansion of US-Japan security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific through regional formats, such as the quadrilateral Quad (with the added participation of Australia and India) and the recently shaped AUKUS, involving Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The diplomats reportedly touched upon the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 2016 trade arrangement among 12 regional countries, including Japan and the US, which never took effect due to Washington’s withdrawal in 2017. Blinken and Motegi discussed the US’ potential return into the deal and the possible accession of China and Taiwan, the broadcaster said.
