Quad Nations Arranging Foreign Ministers' Meeting

Tokyo, July 17 (Jiji Press)--Japan, the United States, Australia and India have started making arrangements for a foreign ministers' meeting under their Quad cooperation framework, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related meetings next week, informed sources said Friday.

The ASEAN-linked foreign ministers' conferences are due to take place in Manila from Monday to Thursday.

If held, it will be the first Quad foreign ministers' meeting since such talks were held in India in May.

The participants, likely including Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are expected to reaffirm cooperation on energy security and rare earth supplies, in the face of China's growing assertiveness.

Furthermore, they will apparently discuss developments in the Middle East and Asia, including the East and South China seas.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]