The United States, Australia and Japan are working together to protect the South China Sea, create business opportunities and advance cybersecurity in the Indo-Pacific region.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Australia and Japan’s respective Ministers for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne and Taro Kono August 1 in Thailand, where all three countries pledged to promote “a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.”
One example: All three countries support Japan’s program at the University of the South Pacific that trains students from the Pacific Islands in maritime law enforcement.
The trilateral meeting was part of Pompeo’s July 31–August 5 trip to the region. The secretary traveled to Thailand, where he met with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and commemorated the 10th anniversary of the the Lower Mekong Initiative before heading to Sydney to meet with Australian officials and then to Micronesia.
