United States, Japan and India have decided to coordinate
policies in addressing China’s increasing maritime activities. This decision
was taken in first Japan-US-India trilateral meeting held in New York on the
sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. It was attended by US Secretary
of State John Kerry, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Key facts In the meeting, Japan has
expressed strong concerns over China’s rapid ongoing unilateral activities
which aim at changing the status quo in the South China Sea. Japan also
mentioned that China’s massive land reclamation projects followed by
construction of a facility including for military purposes have further
heightened tensions. In the meeting, all 3 nations agreed that the rule of law
should be observed and all international disputes should be settled peacefully
to maintain peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region. Three parties also
agreed to launch a trilateral meeting of experts in order to enable joint
rescue and relief efforts in the event of major disasters. Comment From the US
perspective, the first Japan-US-India trilateral meeting is seen as part of its
“pivot” toward Asia policy to counterbalance China’s influence in Southeast
Asia and in case for India it is
considered as part of its ambitious Act East Asia Policy
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