November 14, 2022
US President Joe Biden took part in the 17th East Asia Summit in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on November 13. Apart from a bilateral leaders’ meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, President Biden also held a trilateral leaders’ meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan and President Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea. In these meetings, the leaders of the United States, Australia, Japan, and the Republic of Korea reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Following the US-Japan-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in February and the US-Australia-Japan Trilateral Strategic Dialogue in August, this marks another joint show of concern for cross-strait security from the governments of the United States, Australia, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) sincerely welcomes this latest demonstration of support and expresses its gratitude to the leaders.
Taiwan occupies a pivotal position in the first island chain in East Asia and has long played a vital role in maintaining regional security. The high regard that the governments of the United States, Australia, Japan, and the Republic of Korea continue to hold for cross-strait security again underscores the strong degree of consensus among democracies on the preservation of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan is a responsible member of the Indo-Pacific democratic community. At this critical time, when authoritarian nations are openly challenging the international order, Taiwan will continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and cooperate closely with like-minded countries to jointly counter coercion by authoritarian regimes; safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait; and ensure a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.