Japan, Australia, India to Hold Subcabinet-Level Talks on Fri.

Tokyo, Feb. 24 (Jiji Press)--Japan, Australia and India will hold a meeting of their subcabinet-level foreign policy officials in Tokyo on Friday, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. The officials are expected to confirm the three countries' cooperation in the face of China's growing maritime expansion in the South China Sea. The meeting will be attended by Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki, Peter Varghese, secretary of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, foreign secretary at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. It will be the second time for subcabinet-level foreign affairs officials from the three countries to hold a meeting. The first such meeting took place in New Delhi in June last year. Saiki is scheduled to hold separate talks with Varghese on Thursday and with Jaishankar the next day. END