Pompeo Calls for United ‘Quad’ Bloc on China in Virus Crisis
- First ministerial meeting in Asia for Indo-Pacific democracies
- Move comes as tensions linger between India and China
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U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo called on three other Indo-Pacific democracies to band together against coercion from China, in a bid to keep pressure on Beijing amid the coronavirus crisis rocking Washington.
The so-called Quad -- also including Australia, India and Japan -- held its second ministerial-level meeting in Tokyo Tuesday, in an event expected to help firm up New Delhi’s participation in the group. The first international gathering of ministers in Japan in almost a year demonstrates solidarity at a time when China is feuding with at least three of its members: Australia, the U.S. and India.