ILLUSTRATION. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a press conference on deals with China and Iran, as well as the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, in Washington, USA, June 24, 2020.
Source: Channel News Asia | Editor: SS Kurniawan
KONTAN.CO.ID – TOKYO. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned of Beijing’s “malicious activities in the Asia-Pacific region” during a meeting with key regional allies in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday (6/10).
Pompeo’s remarks present an increasingly assertive united front against China.
Pompeo met with the foreign ministers of Japan, Australia and India on a trip he cut back after President Donald Trump and a number of his staff and White House advisers contracted Covid-19.
Pompeo’s first meeting was with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne. “Discussing common concerns regarding the poor activities of the People’s Republic of China in the Asia-Pacific region,” a US State Department official was quoted as saying Channel News Asia.
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Talks in Tokyo with the US, Australia and India are all at odds with Beijing, leaving Japan in a difficult position to stand with its allies while trying to maintain gradually increasing ties with China.
Pompeo is the first senior US official to visit Japan since Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office last month. And, he believes Tokyo and Washington are on the same page.
“In his first statement after taking office, Prime Minister Suga described a free and open Indo-Pacific as the foundation of regional peace and stability. I strongly agree,” Pompeo said at the start of talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi as Channel News Asia report.
Suga said the spread of the corona virus had shown, “why now is the time for us to further deepen coordination with as many countries as possible who share the same vision and build efforts to enhance cooperation”.
Pompeo is a staunch critic of China on a wide range of issues, from security and human rights to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Donald Trump administration is trying to blame Beijing directly for the Covid-19 pandemic, ahead of the US presidential election on November 3.
