Presidential Office responds to joint statement following trilateral meeting of US, Japanese, and Australian defense ministers

After a trilateral meeting of the defense ministers of the United States, Japan, and Australia on November 17 in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, the three ministers issued a joint statement emphasizing the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) expressed gratitude to our international partners for placing attention and emphasis on the situation in the Taiwan Strait and the region at large. The spokesperson said that the trilateral joint statement once again demonstrates that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is not only a critical regional issue but also an essential element in global peace and prosperity.

Spokesperson Kuo said that the joint statement reiterates the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and calls for the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. It also reiterates, the spokesperson added, strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion, as well as concern for issues in the East and South China Seas.

Spokesperson Kuo stated that Taiwan stands on the frontline of the defense of democracy and is a responsible member of the region and the international community. She emphasized that in face of an increasingly complex regional situation, Taiwan will continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and deepen its cooperative partnerships with the US, Japan, Australia, and other like-minded countries to jointly defend the rules-based international order.