India, Japan, US to take up regional issues on Dec 19

“This meeting is going to be an opportunity to hold a comprehensive discussion on a range of Asia-Pacific regional issues,” US State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters in Washington on Monday. The specific agenda is still being determined, “but obviously, as the three leading Pacific democracies, we look forward to productive exchanges with India and Japan,” he said.

Asked why India, an Indian Ocean country, was invited to the meeting as one of the “Pacific democracies,” Toner said, “This is a chance for us to discuss regional issues.”

In response to a question that why Australia was not invited to the meeting, Toner explained that it “isn’t all-inclusive.” “I don’t know about Australia. All these talks don’t have to be completely inclusive. Again, this is a chance for us to meet with three leading democracies in the region.”

The dialogue, earlier scheduled for October 8 in Tokyo, was postponed at Washington’s request.