MOFA welcomes comments by leaders of Japan, the U.S., Australia and South Korea on maintaining cross-strait peace and stability. (MOFA)
 

The recent comments by leaders of Japan, the U.S., Australia and South Korea in support of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are deeply appreciated by the government and people, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

During a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s annual gathering Nov. 17 in Bangkok, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated the importance of maintaining cross-strait peace and stability.

While meeting Xi Nov. 14 during the G20 Bali Summit, U.S. President Joe Biden said the world has a shared interest in preserving cross-strait peace and stability. It was the first in-person meeting between the two heads of state since Biden took office in January 2020.

Washington opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo and objects to China’s coercive and increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan as such actions jeopardize global prosperity, he added.

The same stance was expressed during the bilateral meeting between Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as well as the trilateral meeting among Biden, Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, both of which took place during the East Asia Summit Nov. 13 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The importance the leaders of the four countries attach to cross-strait security underscores the strong consensus among democratic nations on maintaining stability in the region, the MOFA said.

As a responsible member of the free world, Taiwan will continue to enhance its self-defense capabilities while cooperating with like-minded partners to counter authoritarian expansion, safeguard the rules-based international order and promote a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific, the ministry added. (SFC-E)