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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 6 OcTOber 2020
U.S., Australia, India, Japan to discuss China's growing power

TOKYO (AP) — Foreign min- perience in diplomacy. Bal-
isters from four Indo-Pacific ancing between the U.S.,
nations known as the Quad Japan's main security ally,
group are gathering in To- and China, its top trading
kyo on Tuesday for talks partner, will be tough, ana-
that Japan hopes will in- lysts say.
crease their involvement in "The challenges of Japan-
a regional initiative called U.S. relations are not in
"Free and Open Indo-Pa- themselves, but in where
cific" aimed at countering Japan stands when U.S.-
China's growing assertive- China disputes intensify,"
ness. said Yasushi Watanabe, an
The meeting — the first in- expert on U.S. diplomacy
person talks among the at Japan's Keio University.
foreign ministers since the "It would be best for Ja-
coronavirus pandemic pan to take a pragmatic
broke out — brings together approach to China while
U.S. Secretary of State Mike maintaining the Japan-U.S.
Pompeo, Australian For- alliance as a cornerstone,"
eign Minister Marise Payne, he said. "And it is indispens-
Indian Minister of External able for Japan to strength-
Affairs Subrahmanyam en cooperation with the
Jaishankar and Japanese EU, Britain, Australia and
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu ASEAN."
Motegi. In this Oct. 2, 2020, file photo, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, with Croatia's Foreign Japan hopes to regularize
Japanese officials say they Minister Gordan Grlic Radman, arrives for a press conference after talks in Dubrovnik, Croatia. the Quad foreign ministers'
will discuss the impact of Associated Press talks and broaden their co-
the coronavirus pandem- operation with other coun-
ic, as well as the Free and ing, though he canceled status quo in the South Chi- diplomacy that is based on tries.
Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) subsequent planned visits na Sea, where it has built the Japan-U.S. alliance as That would be a major
initiative for greater secu- to South Korea and Mon- and militarized manmade a cornerstone and "strate- challenge for the Quad,
rity and economic coop- golia after President Don- islands and is assertively gically promote the FOIP," said Jeff Kingston, director
eration that Japan and the ald Trump was hospitalized pressing its claim to virtually while establishing stable of Asian studies at Temple
U.S. have been pushing to with the coronavirus. all of the sea's key fisheries relations with neighbors in- University Japan. "A shared
bring together "like-mind- The talks follow a recent and waterways. cluding China and Russia. threat perception of Chi-
ed" countries that share flareup in tensions between New Japanese Prime Minis- He said he also plans to na does not mean shared
concerns about China's China and India over their ter Yoshihide Suga will make promote the FOIP during a views on what to do and
growing assertiveness and disputed Himalayan bor- his in-person diplomatic de- planned visit to Southeast if it's possible to build the
influence. der. Relations between but when he attends part Asia later this month. Quad into something along
On his way to Tokyo, Pom- Australia and China have of the Quad meeting. He Suga replaced Shinzo Abe, the lines of NATO," he said.
peo told reporters that the also deteriorated in recent will also hold separate talks who resigned due to poor The U.S. and Australia
four countries hope to have months. with Pompeo on deepen- health, on Sept. 16, pledg- would favor the idea, but
some "significant achieve- Japan, meanwhile, is con- ing the Japan-U.S. alliance ing to carry on Abe's hawk- Japan and India are am-
ments" at the meeting, but cerned about China's claim and the FOIP. ish diplomacy and security bivalent and so is ASEAN,
did not elaborate. to the Japanese-controlled "The world is possibly be- policies. Abe has been a he said. "Transforming the
The talks come weeks Senkaku Islands, called Di- coming even more unpre- driving force behind FOIP. Quad into a collective
ahead of the U.S. presiden- aoyu in China, in the East dictable and uncontrol- Japan sees it as crucial to security organization tar-
tial election and amid es- China Sea. Japan also lable due to heightening have access to sea lanes geting China forces gov-
calating tensions between considers China's growing selfish nationalism and all the way to Middle East, ernments to choose sides.
the U.S. and China over the military activity to be a se- growing tension between a key source of oil for the Beijing has generated an
virus, trade, technology, curity threat. Japan's an- the U.S. and China," Suga resource-poor island na- arc of anxiety in Asia but
Hong Kong, Taiwan and nual defense policy paper said in an interview with tion. there is a preference for
human rights. Pompeo is in July accused China of Japanese media on Mon- Suga, a former chief Cabi- dialogue and negotiations,
attending the Quad meet- unilaterally changing the day. He said he will pursue net secretary, has little ex- not saber rattling."q

Microsoft plans $1 billion data center venture in Greece

By DEREK GATOPOULOS ister Mitsotakis and follows ment," Microsoft President the second quarter. Unem- has exposed the country's
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — nine months of confidential Brad Smith said at a cer- ployment in June climbed heavy reliance on tourism.
Microsoft has announced negotiations for an agree- emony held in the Acropo- to 18.3% from 16.4% at the The Mitsotakis government
plans to build three data ment that also includes dig- lis Museum, facing the an- start of the year. says it wants to shift the bal-
center sites in greater Ath- ital-skills training programs cient site in central Athens. According to budget fig- ance of the Greek econ-
ens, providing a badly for some 100,000 govern- "It's not something we do ures submitted to parlia- omy during its recovery,
needed investment of up ment and private sector often and it's not something ment Monday, Greece's developing the energy,
to $1 billion to the Greek workers as well as educa- that we do lightly." economy is expected to tech, and defense sectors,
economy which has been tors and students. Greece recently emerged contract 8.2% this year due hoping to lure back tens
hammered by the pan- "This significant investment from a years-long financial to the effects of the coro- of thousands of graduates
demic. is a reflection of our confi- crisis but its economy has navirus pandemic, and who left during the crisis.
The news was announced dence in the Greek econ- been hard hit by the pan- grow by up to 7.5% next "We are starting to create
Monday by the U.S. tech omy, in the Greek people demic, suffering a 15.2% year. the conditions for their re-
giant and Greek Prime Min- and the Greek govern- drop in output on the year in The COVID-19 pandemic turn," Mitsotakis said. q