US holds ‘unusual’ civil-military meeting in Tokyo ahead of Trump’s China trip
Por Khushboo Razdan,William Zheng — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement 2026 Xi-Trump summits China Diplomacy US holds ‘unusual’ civil-military meeting in Tokyo ahead of Trump’s China trip
Diplomatic, administrative and military officials said to have exchanged intelligence and aligned Asia-Pacific priorities and messaging
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Khushboo Razdan and William Zheng Published: 6:00pm, 14 Oct 2026 Updated: 6:17pm, 14 Oct 2026 Senior American diplomats, administration officials and Indo-Pacific military commanders met in Tokyo earlier this month in what one source called an “unusual” gathering ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China in November .
People familiar with the meeting said it represented an evolution of a long-standing practice in which US ambassadors stationed across Asia and the Pacific gathered to exchange intelligence, coordinate diplomatic reporting and align regional priorities.
The Tokyo gathering brought a broad mix of diplomatic, administrative and military officials into the process, suggesting a formalised and elevated-level approach to regional coordination on the US side.
The roster also included the de facto American envoy to Taiwan , while the programme featured a visit to the US naval base in Yokosuka, Japan. Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice
