February 20, 2023
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Director of the Office of the Chinese Communist Party Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on February 18. After the meeting, the US Department of State issued a press release, stating that Secretary Blinken reiterated to Director Wang the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and emphasized that the incursion of a Chinese surveillance balloon over the United States was unacceptable and must never occur again. Furthermore, he warned that China would face severe consequences if it were to provide assistance to Russia in violation of international sanctions.
Secretary Blinken’s public reaffirmation of staunch support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait followed the Taiwan-friendly statements made last week by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman at a congressional hearing and an event at a Washington, DC, think tank. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) welcomes and appreciates these statements.
Since its inception, the Biden administration has reaffirmed the US commitment to Taiwan’s security on numerous occasions, including through public statements by senior officials, joint Taiwan-friendly statements with like-minded nations, and the dispatch of naval vessels to conduct freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait. These actions demonstrate the US government’s high regard and rock-solid support for Taiwan’s security. In the face of China’s military expansion and provocative actions, the government of Taiwan will continue to enhance self-defense capabilities and stand firm against authoritarian expansion and aggression. It will also deepen its close security partnership with the United States and strengthen cooperation with all like-minded countries so as to staunchly safeguard the security of the Taiwan Strait; the rules-based international order; and peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.