The unwavering support for cross-strait peace and stability recently expressed by Japan and U.S. foreign and defense ministers as well as Josep Borrell, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, is deeply appreciated by the government and people of Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said July 28.
Such support is shown in a joint statement released following the Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee held earlier in the day in Tokyo. The two countries reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community, and encouraged the peaceful resolution of relevant issues, according to the statement.
The U.S. and Japan concurred that China’s foreign policy seeks to reshape the international order for its own benefit, and highlighted that Beijing employs political, economic and military coercion to achieve its objectives. The two sides shared the understanding that such behavior represents the greatest strategic challenge in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, the statement said.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Borrell during his speech at the 31st ASEAN Regional Forum held July 27 in Laos. The EU has a direct interest in maintaining cross-strait peace and stability, he said, adding that it opposes any unilateral attempt to change the status quo through force or coercion.
Borrell said that the epicenter of global competition is in the Indo-Pacific, adding that a conflict in the South China Sea would have far more serious ramifications than those seen in the Red Sea. He urged relevant parties to reduce tension through the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea instead of the use of force.
According to the MOFA, Taiwan opposes any unilateral attempts and actions to alter the status quo by force, as well as escalation of gray zone operations and military coercion in the South China Sea. Such actions will sabotage regional peace and undermine the UNCLOS-based international maritime order, the ministry said.
As a responsible Indo-Pacific entity, Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with like-minded partners to jointly defend shared values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law, as well as safeguard peace and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and throughout the Indo-Pacific, the MOFA added. (YCH-E)
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