April 13, 2023
On April 11, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin convened the US-Philippines 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo and Senior Undersecretary and Officer in Charge of National Defense Carlito Galvez in Washington, DC. In their joint statement issued after the meeting, the two parties reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) welcomes and recognizes that the US-Philippines 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue placed high regard on cross-strait peace and stability for the first time.
Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are critical to the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific. China has recently used President Tsai Ing-wen’s overseas visits and transits through the United States as pretext for escalating its military threats and coercion against Taiwan. This has posed a severe challenge to regional security and stability. The United States, Japan, the European Union, and other major countries have expressed serious concern over China’s actions. MOFA urges the international community to continue to condemn China’s irrational military provocations, voice support for democratic Taiwan, pay heed to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, work with Taiwan to protect the rules-based international order, and jointly defend a stable, free, and open Indo-Pacific.