As China has adopted an aggressive posture in the strategically important Indo-Pacific and its ongoing tension with India at the border in Ladakh, the Quad grouping may hold a meeting in New York next month.  The foreign ministers of this combine may hold parleys on the sidelines of the United Nations General Asssembly(UNGA)session there.

The Quad includes India, US, Japan and Australia and the likely meeting of its foreign ministers on September 19 is likely to review cooperation between the four countries to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific against China’s belligerence there, sources said here on Wednesday. The ministers may also discuss the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Incidentally, Beijing has all along criticized the Quad claiming it will lead to the militarization of the region thereby increasing tension.

The likely meeting will be the first between External affairs minister S Jaishankar, Australian foreign minister Penny Wong, Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after they met here on March 3 to discuss key challenges in the Indo-Pacific.

In March, the four foreign ministers of the Quad denounced the threat of use of nuclear weapons in context of Ukraine conflict and opposed unilateral actions to change the status quo or increase tensions in South and East China Seas.

The Quad Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, meant to tackle new and emerging forms of terrorism, was among new initiatives unveiled at the meeting in March.