New Southbound Policy Portal

MOFA response to inclusion of Taiwan-friendly comments in joint statement on Australia-US Ministerial Consultations

From Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, MOFA 2023-07-30

The minister for foreign affairs and minister for defense of Australia hosted the secretary of state and secretary of defense of the United States at the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) in Brisbane on July 29. After the meeting, the US Department of State and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a joint statement on the 33rd AUSMIN.

In the statement, the United States and Australia reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and their shared opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo. They also called for the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues through dialogue without the threat or use of force or coercion. In addition, the statement emphasized Taiwan’s role as a leading Indo-Pacific democracy and economy and reiterated the commitment of the United States and Australia to work together to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. The two countries also vowed to steadily deepen economic, trade, and people-to-people ties with Taiwan and enhance development coordination with Taiwan in the Pacific.

In recent years, the United States and Australia have continued to reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, oppose unilateral changes to the cross-strait status quo by either side, and support Taiwan’s international participation. These developments demonstrate the international community’s consensus on preserving peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the crucial role of Taiwan in Indo-Pacific and global stability and prosperity. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) sincerely appreciates and strongly affirms that the United States and Australia have publicly expressed unwavering and comprehensive support for Taiwan in joint statements on the annual AUSMIN for four consecutive years.

The government of Taiwan will build on the existing solid foundation of cooperation to continue to work closely with the United States, Australia, and other like-minded countries to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, expand Taiwan’s international space, defend such shared values as democracy and freedom, uphold the rules-based international order, and promote peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.