US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on Friday had a meeting with Japanese National Security Secretariat chief Shigeru Kitamura during which they reaffirmed their nations' alliance to maintain peace and security in the Indian-Pacific region.
The meeting holds significance as it comes at a time when China has ramped up its assertiveness in the Indian-Pacific region
"Pompeo met with the Japanese National Security Secretariat Secretary-General Shigeru Kitamura in Washington, DC," Department of State spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a readout. "[They] reaffirmed that the US-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in a free and open Indian-Pacific."
Pompeo also congratulated Kitamura on his reappointment to his post following Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's election on September 16.
"Pompeo and Kitamura reaffirmed that the US-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity in a free and open Indian-Pacific," the statement read.
Indian-Pacific region is largely viewed as an area comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea.
China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and its efforts to advance into the Indian Ocean are seen to have challenged the established rules-based system. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims in the South China Sea.
Beijing's rising assertiveness against counter claimants in the East and South Sea has resulted in unprecedented agreement across the Indian-Pacific.
According to the Nikkei Asian Review, several concerned nations are already deepening security ties with each other and the US to mitigate the threat.
In recent years, Japan has expressed increasing concerns regarding Beijing's activities in the region especially concerning the situation with the disputed Senkaku islands, known in China as the Diaoyudao islands and claimed by Beijing to be Chinese territory.
( With inputs from ANI )
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