Taipei welcomes declaration by Washington, Tokyo and Manila in favor of regional stability – Observer

Taiwan welcomed this Friday the joint statement of the United States, Japan and Philippineshighlighting that this is the first time that Leaders of the three countries express a “firm position” in favor of regional stability.

In the statement released by the White House at the end of the trilateral summit, US President Joe Biden, his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the “dangerous and aggressive behavior” of China in the South China Sea, where Beijing has territorial disputes with several nations, including the Philippines.

US, Japan and Philippines denounce Beijing’s aggressiveness in the South China Sea

The leaders also reaffirmed the importance of preserving “peace” and “stability” in the Taiwan Straita territory governed autonomously since 1949 and considered by China as its province that must be reunified, by force, if necessary.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs endorsed the joint statement, saying China’s “military intimidation” and “coercion” “constitute a serious challenge to regional security and the rules-based international order.”

For the Government of Taiwan, Tuesday’s press conference with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and his British counterpart, David Cameron, as well as the bilateral meeting between Biden and Kishida and the subsequent trilateral summit with the Philippines, demonstrate that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait “enjoys a high degree of international consensus”.

“As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will continue to work with the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and the Philippines, as well as all like-minded partners, to promote regional peace, stability and prosperity,” he said. the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The USA – Japan – Philippines summit served to formalize an alliance between the three parties, with announcements of greater cooperation in technology, infrastructure and maritime securityin the face of China’s growing power in the Indo-Pacific.

Since arriving at the White House in 2021, Biden has dedicated himself to building alliances in Asia, which led to the creation of the Aukus military pact (an acronym for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and rapprochement with Japan, South Korea and Philippines.

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Taiwan’s government, led by the traditionally pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, has also sought to deepen ties with these countries in recent years, in the face of repeated threats from China, despite not having diplomatic recognition from any of them.