The unwavering support for cross-strait peace and stability recently expressed by U.S. President Joe Biden and Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is deeply appreciated by the government and people of Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Nov. 17.
Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met Nov. 16 in Lima, Peru. During the event, Biden reiterated that the U.S. opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo and expects cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means. He also stressed that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is important to the world, and called for an end to destabilizing PRC military activity around Taiwan.
Similar sentiments were expressed in a joint statement released by Japan, South Korea and the U.S. Nov. 15 following a trilateral summit. The leaders in attendance recognized cross-strait peace and stability as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, and they called for a peaceful resolution of related issues. The statement noted that the Trilateral Secretariat was further established during their meeting to make the Indo-Pacific a thriving, connected, resilient, stable and secure region.
In addition to attending the trilateral leaders’ summit, Ishiba held a Japan-China summit meeting with Xi on the same day. The Japanese prime minister expressed his country’s concerns about the situation in the East China Sea and the intensification of Chinese military activities, calling on China to address the issues.
The MOFA also took advantage of the opportunity to reiterate that neither the ROC (Taiwan) nor the PRC is subordinate to the other, and that China’s continued military provocations around Taiwan are the biggest threat to regional peace and stability, as well as to global economic prosperity.
As a responsible member of the Indo-Pacific and international communities, Taiwan will implement President Lai Ching-te’s four pillars of peace action plan and continue strengthening self-defense capabilities, the MOFA said. The country is committed to working with like-minded partners, such as Japan and the U.S., to safeguard the rules-based international order and enhance regional and global freedom, openness, peace and prosperity, the ministry added. (YCH-E)
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