US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday called on key Asian allies to unite against China's "exploitation, corruption and coercion" in the region, as he held talks in Tokyo. 

Pompeo was speaking at the start of discussions with his Japanese, Indian and Australian counterparts -- the so-called Quad grouping, seeking to present a united front against an increasingly assertive Beijing.

But it was the top US diplomat who took the hardest line on China, referring to the "pandemic that came from Wuhan".

He warned it was "more critical now than ever that we collaborate to protect our people and partners from the CCP's exploitation, corruption and coercion", citing China's actions in the Himalayas, Taiwan Strait and elsewhere.

This rhetoric was not fully echoed by Washington's partners in the grouping, although Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne pointedly spoke of the desire for a region "governed by rules, not power".

The talks come with Washington, Sydney and New Delhi all at loggerheads with Beijing.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar noted the fact that the meeting was happening at all, given the coronavirus pandemic, was "testimony to the importance" of the alliance.

Although planned stops in South Korea and Mongolia were scrapped, Pompeo said it was important to go ahead with the four-way talks.

However, no joint statement or press conference is expected after the meeting.

Pompeo's call came a day after China, Russia and two dozen other countries called on the United States and Western countries to end the use of unilateral sanctions, which they said make it harder to deal with Covid-19.

In a statement read by Chinese envoy Zhang Jun at the UN, they accused the US of violating human rights, systematic racial discrimination and hindering development in countries it places economic sanctions on. It was made to the UN General Assembly's third committee, which focuses on human rights and humanitarian affairs.