Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is scheduled to visit Australia, Fiji and Hawaii from Feb. 7-13 to meet with Indo-Pacific allies and partners, according to a U.S. Department of State press release.
The meetings will focus on advancing "peace, resilience and prosperity" throughout the region and showcasing the effectiveness of these alliances.
Blinken will first visit Australia from Feb 9-12 to attend the fourth Quad Ministerial Meeting of Foreign Ministers, which will be hosted by Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne.
This meeting, which will also feature Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, among others, will address a variety of bilateral and global issues.
"With our Quad partners, we are delivering results for our populations and the region, including by advancing cooperation on COVID-19 vaccination delivery, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, maritime security, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, countering disinformation, climate change, and critical and emerging technologies," the press release states.
Blinken is also scheduled to meet with students, researchers and technology leaders while in Melbourne.
Blinken's next trip will be to Fiji on Feb 12, where he will meet with Pacific Island leaders to discuss climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, disaster relief and measures to reinforce the U.S.'s commitment to facilitate "democracy, regional solidarity and prosperity" in the Pacific.
Additionally, Blinken will meet with Fiji Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama to discuss methods on how to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.
This marks the first time a U.S. secretary of state has visited Fiji since 1985.
Blinken's tour will finish in Honolulu on Feb. 12, where he will welcome Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong for a trilateral ministerial meeting of the U.S., Japan and the Republic of Korea.
This meeting will focus on strengthening the U.S.' role in minimizing dangers presented by the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs and cooperatively resolving global concerns.
In addition, Blinken will visit with Foreign Minister Chung and, afterward, with USINDOPACOM Commander Admiral John Aquilino.
