DIPLOMACY

India, Japan, Australia to hold trilateral on December 12

trilateral_dec L-R: Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and Indian PM Narendra Modi

India, Japan and Australia, are likely to meet in New Delhi on December 12, close on the heels of the Quadrilateral meet. Top officials from the four countries — India, Japan, Australia and United States met in Manila in November and agreed that a “free” and “open” Indo-Pacific was in their common interest.

The quadrilateral is an extension of the US-Japan-India trilateral. The three countries, during the last three editions of the trilateral meet, have been focussing on developing joint initiatives and concretising joint maritime projects. Revival of the Quadrilateral has been proposed by US State Secretary Rex Tillerson and Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono.

The trilateral is expected to review the prevailing situation in the region, mainly the North Korea issue and maritime territorial disputes in the Indo-Pacific region.

When the four countries met in Manila in November, they agreed that a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world. According to experts, the Quadrilateral wants be inclusive of China's approach in the Indo-Pacific region.

The first meeting between India, Japan and Australia was held in Delhi in 2015. They met again in Japan and in April 2017 in Canberra.

Read more: Revival of the US-led quad 

Singapore, however, has expressed reservation over the proposed quad. Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said that it would not be useful to cast one bloc against another. He also added that Singapore was open to multilateral exercises in the Indian Ocean region.

He said a stable system where all small and large states have ways to resolve disputes through peaceful means would be conducive than "polarising defence and trade". Calling India a regional power, he added that the country was a natural partner in the Indo-Pacific region.

In an apparent reference to China's growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea, he said freedom of navigation and flight must be respected.

Singapore is a key member-country of the 10-nation ASEAN grouping with which India has been intensifying its defence and security ties. The US has been favouring a larger role for India in the strategically important Indo-Pacific region.

Ng Eng Hen, in his address, paid tributes to India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and complimented India's Act East policy, saying it is making an impact.

(with inputs from PTI)

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Topics : #India | #Japan | #Australia

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