The foreign and defence ministers of Japan and Germany are looking forward to holding a “2+2” dialogue online in mid-April, the daily Yomiuri reported on Monday.
The “2 plus 2” talks will be the first among the two countries, and they are expected to discuss ways to defence and a “free and open Indo-Pacific” in face of an increasingly assertive China, the report said, citing multiple unidentified sources. The exact date is not yet confirmed but the two parties are looking to speak on April 16.
Countries such as the US and Japan have become increasingly cautious as China takes an increasingly aggressive foreign policy approach in the Indo-Pacific region.
A German frigate expected to set sail for Asia in August will become the first German warship to cross the South China Sea since 2002 on its return journey.
