April 28, 2023
no. 133
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met at 10 Downing Street in London on April 27. They signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation, which reiterated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, opposed unilateral changes to the status quo, and encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues without the threat or use of force or coercion. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) welcomes and appreciates these statements.
Taiwan responsibly manages cross-strait relations and is committed to maintaining regional peace and stability. Recently, however, Chinese military aircraft and vessels have made frequent incursions into the waters and airspace around Taiwan, not only impacting cross-strait relations but also posing serious threats to security in the Indo-Pacific region. The UK-Italy MOU reaffirms that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are of great significance to the interests of all nations and demonstrates that democratic partners are willing to express their shared concerns and jointly strive to safeguard peace and stability.
The United Kingdom and Italy have both publicly expressed support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait on numerous occasions. The UK government’s Integrated Review Refresh 2023 published in March and UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs James Cleverly’s annual foreign policy speech on April 25 both demonstrated the United Kingdom’s firm and friendly stance toward Taiwan. And recently, Italy has sent naval vessels to patrol the Indo-Pacific and engage in cooperative exchanges.
The Taiwan government is pleased that nations worldwide are taking action to help ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan will continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with like-minded countries to jointly safeguard peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the world. (E)