US, Japan, Australia, India to have 'Quad' top diplomats' meeting in Delhi

TOKYO, May 22: The US, Japan, Australia and India will hold a meeting of foreign ministers of the 'Quad' grouping in New Delhi on ?May 26, Japan's foreign ministry said on Friday.

Japan's top diplomat ToshimitsuMotegi will visit India for three days from Monday to attend ?the meeting, the ministry added.

The so-called Quad security alliance is seen as a counterweight to Beijing's presence in the Indian Ocean and wider Asia-Pacific region.

The May 26 meeting comes during a visit by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrives on an India tour on Saturday, hosted by India's Foreign Minister SubrahmanyamJaishankar, with Australia's Penny Wong and Japan's ToshimitsuMotegi also to attend.

The four-way partnership was first conceived by late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who foresaw an alliance of democracies surrounding China -- which has repeatedly alleged that the Quad is a way to contain it.    �"AGENCIES