Recent remarks by top officials from the U.S., U.K., Japan and France supporting cross-strait peace and stability are sincerely welcomed by the government and people of Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said May 10.
During a joint U.S.-U.K. news conference following the bilateral meeting May 9 in Washington, D.C., U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the two countries share an approach to key issues such as ensuring peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said maintenance of cross-strait peace is something that affects all countries regardless of where they are.
On the same day, Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada held the seventh foreign and defense ministerial meeting with their respective French counterparts Catherine Colonna and Sebastien Lecornu via videoconference. The two sides issued a joint statement afterward expressing concern over the situations in the East and South China Seas, reaffirming the importance of cross-strait stability to global security and prosperity and calling for peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.
According to the MOFA, China’s escalation of military coercion since last year is destabilizing the Indo-Pacific and has raised concern in the global community.
The ministry said the statement and remarks by the four countries underscore the consensus among members of the free world that maintaining cross-strait peace and stability is in the best interest of all.
The government of Taiwan will continue working with the four countries and other like-minded partners to defend shared democratic values and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region, the MOFA added. (SFC-E)
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