July 28, 2023
US President Joe Biden and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issued a joint statement on July 27 in which they reiterated the “vital importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, which is instrumental to regional and global security and prosperity.” The statement also said that the two sides “commit to strengthen bilateral and multilateral consultations on the opportunities and challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) sincerely welcomes the statement and thanks the United States and Italy for publicly reaffirming their firm position supporting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
China has repeatedly contrived pretexts for escalating coercion and military intimidation against Taiwan, posing a critical challenge to regional security and attracting grave concern among the international community. In recent months, statements following the US-Philippines leaders’ summit, the US-Republic of Korea leaders’ summit, the US-Japan leaders’ summit, and the US-Australian leaders’ meeting in Hiroshima, as well as the G7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué and readouts of President Biden’s phone calls with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron, have all reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and demonstrated a high degree of international consensus on this issue.
As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will continue to cooperate with the United States, Italy, and all like-minded partners to defend the values of democracy and jointly safeguard peace, stability, and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and throughout the Indo-Pacific region.