Recent remarks and statements by the foreign ministers of Australia and New Zealand on the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are sincerely welcomed by the government and people of Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Following the seventh Australia-China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue held March 20 in Canberra, Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong said that Australia expressed serious concerns about Beijing’s dangerous actions in surrounding waters, and reaffirmed its stance on maintaining cross-strait and regional peace and stability.
According to the MOFA, the Australian government has reaffirmed its opposition to unilateral changes to the cross-strait status quo through high-level talks with countries including France, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, the U.K. and the U.S. in recent years. Similar sentiments were expressed by its Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last November during a visit to China, the ministry added.
Wong’s remarks followed a statement released by the New Zealand government after Winston Peters, its deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi March 18 in Wellington. In the statement, New Zealand raised concerns over increased tensions in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
The MOFA said that peace in the Taiwan Strait was emphasized in the joint statement released following the inaugural Australia-New Zealand Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultations in February.
Taiwan will continue to work with other like-minded partners to safeguard cross-strait and regional security while expanding the country’s global presence, the MOFA said. The government is committed to defending democratic values and protecting the rules-based international order, the ministry added. (YCH-E)
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