The annual event is known as the 2+2 talks because they involve the defense and foreign ministers of each country. They were attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (黃英賢) and Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles. Austin said that the allies would seek Japanese participation in joint operations in Australia, where the US has been rotating marines since 2011 through Darwin. Austin said that the US and Australia agreed to increase rotations of bomber task forces, fighter jets, and the US Army and Navy. “We agreed to enhance trilateral defense cooperation and to invite Japan to integrate into our force posture initiatives in Australia,” Austin said.

Source: Taipei Times December 07, 2022 22:11 UTC