February 24, 2024
On February 23, the US Department of State released the text of a joint statement between the United States and the European Union on the outcomes of the sixth high-level meeting of the US-EU Dialogue on China and the fifth meeting of the US-EU High-Level Consultations on the Indo-Pacific, held by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and Secretary General Stefano Sannino of the European Action Service on February 7 and 8. The statement reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and called for the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. It further welcomed Taiwan’s vibrant democratic process, including the presidential and legislative elections in January. Under Secretary Nuland and Secretary General Sannino also expressed support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) warmly welcomes the statement and sincerely thanks the United States and the European Union for publicly reaffirming their robust positions on supporting cross-strait peace and stability, backing Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, and recognizing Taiwan’s democratic achievements.
In contrast, China has long used various pretexts to escalate its coercion and military intimidation of Taiwan. Its gray-zone activities have posed a serious challenge to regional security. These efforts have intensified since Taiwan’s elections this year, indicating China’s profound unease about Taiwan’s deepening democracy. China’s recent unilateral cancelation of a cross-strait agreement on the M503 flight route and its provocative actions in the waters around Kinmen and Xiamen have raised a high degree of concern in the international community.
MOFA stresses that Taiwan, as a responsible member of the international community, will continue to work together with the United States, the European Union, and other like-minded countries to jointly uphold the rules-based international order and promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity.