WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A visit to Asia by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo next week demonstrates strong U.S. commitment to allies and partners in the region, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, David Stilwell, said on Friday.
Pompeo said earlier on Friday he would go ahead with the trip to Japan, South Korea and Mongolia, even after President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus.
Stilwell told a briefing call on the trip for reporters that the United States saw the decision by new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to host Pompeo as his first foreign visitor as a reaffirmation of an ever-strengthening partnership.
He said that a ministerial meeting of the Quad grouping of U.S, Japan, Australia and India next week would probably not produce a joint statement, adding that the group has shared values, but different perspectives.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Humeyra Pamuk)
