Office of the Spokesperson
Senior officials from the United States, Australia, India, and Japan met in Bangkok on November 4, 2019, for consultations on collective efforts to advance a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific. The four nations reaffirmed their support for a rules-based order in the region that promotes stability, growth, and economic prosperity. The officials continued productive discussions held at the September 26 Quad Ministerial, advancing practical collaboration on counter-terrorism, cyber, development finance, maritime security, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response. They explored ways to enhance coordination on quality infrastructure based upon international standards such as the G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment, and discussed strengthening partnerships with existing regional frameworks.
The officials reaffirmed their countries’ strong support for ASEAN centrality, ASEAN-led regional architecture, and ASEAN’s adoption of its Indo-Pacific Outlook. They also explored ways to work together in the Mekong sub-region and across the Indo-Pacific. The officials commended Thailand’s chairmanship of ASEAN in 2019 and looked forward to Vietnam’s chairmanship in 2020. The four countries underscored their intent to continue regular consultations, including at the Ministerial level, and agreed to hold the next senior officials’ meeting in spring 2020.