External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and held a wide-ranging discussion on bilateral ties and regional and global issues.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting in Tokyo.

'Great to catch up with @SecBlinken in Tokyo today. Our bilateral agenda progresses steadily. Also had a wide-ranging discussion on regional and global issues. Look forward to attending the Quad FMM tomorrow,' Jaishankar posted on X.

In November 2017, India, Japan, the US, and Australia gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence.

The South China Sea lies at the junction between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. China claims most of the South China Sea as its own, while The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over the maritime area.   -- PTI