While visiting Australia from August 15 to 16, Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon held bilateral talks with Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese. In a joint statement issued after their meeting, the leaders reaffirmed the importance of cross-strait peace and stability and expressed concern over rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

The White House on August 17 issued a joint leaders’ statement on the anniversary of the Trilateral Leaders’ Summit held by the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea at Camp David. The statement emphasized further deepening the trilateral partnership in such domains as security, technology, and economics based on the principles established at the 2023 Camp David summit.

In response to a question at a forum held by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines on August 16, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo stated that the situation across the Taiwan Strait was very important to the Philippines, adding that he hoped all parties could resolve issues peacefully.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Prospect Foundation will hold the Ketagalan Forum—2024 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue at the Grand Hyatt Taipei on August 21. The eighth edition of the forum will be the first conference on regional security to be hosted by Taiwan’s new administration.

Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Blair and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles held a bilateral meeting in Vancouver, Canada, on August 8. In the Joint Statement on Strengthening the Canada-Australia Defence Relationship issued after the meeting, they reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and their opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo.

Premier Cho Jung-tai pledged Aug. 7 to instill government officials with a deep understanding of artificial intelligence and its potential to build Taiwan into a global technology leader.

At the Cabinet’s weekly meeting on Thursday, Premier Cho Jung-tai received briefings from the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Justice on one new and three amended laws related to the combating of fraud. The premier said the legislation, which was recently passed by the Legislative Yuan, will strengthen the nation’s legal system and enhance law enforcement tools for fighting fraud.

The secretary of state and secretary of defense of the United States and the minister for foreign affairs and minister for defense of Australia convened the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) in the United States on August 6. After the meeting, the US Department of State and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a joint statement on the 34th AUSMIN.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will participate in the 2024 SDG Asia expo Aug. 8-10 at the Taipei World Trade Center to showcase its progress on sustainable development goals.

Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr., convened the Philippines-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Manila on July 30. Following the meeting, they issued a joint statement reaffirming the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity.