September 7, 2023
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait at the ASEAN-Japan Summit held in Indonesia on September 6. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) warmly welcomes and appreciates Prime Minister Kishida publicly reiterating staunch support for cross-strait peace and stability after he expressed the same stance at the US-Japan-ROK summit at Camp David on August 18.
During the ASEAN-Japan Summit, Prime Minister Kishida also expressed concerns over developments in the East and South China Seas and once again stressed that any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force is unacceptable anywhere in the world. A joint statement was later adopted elevating ASEAN-Japan relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
In recent years, China has repeatedly used various pretexts to step up coercion and military intimidation against Taiwan, posing a grave challenge to security across the Taiwan Strait and throughout the region and causing high levels of international concern. Taiwan and Japan are regional neighbors and share the fundamental values of freedom and democracy. Taiwan will continue to work with Japan and other like-minded countries to jointly preserve peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.