MOFA thanks like-minded partners for concern over peace in South China Sea

2024/10/15

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Oct. 12 that it welcomed Australia, India, Japan, Korea and the U.S. all voicing concern over peace and stability in the South China Sea.
 
The 44th and 45th ASEAN summits were held Oct. 6-11 at Vieng Chan, capital of Laos, during which Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese; Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced concern over intensifying military and unlawful coercive behavior in the region while committing to uphold the freedom of aviation and navigation in the area, the MOFA said.
 
South Korea also called for all parties to heed international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to settle disputes. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi also noted that stability in the South China Sea is in the best interest of the entire Indo-Pacific region.
 
In his remarks at the Oct. 10 ASEAN-U.S. Summit and the Oct. 11 East Asia Summit, Blinken reiterated the importance of maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait. He also voiced concern over China’s aggression in the East China Sea, the MOFA added.
 
Speaking at a press conference Oct. 11, the secretary said that ASEAN member nations and other participants expressed hope for continued peace across the Taiwan Strait and voiced opposition to any unilateral change of the status quo. He cited the fact that 50 percent of global cargo passes through the Taiwan Strait and over 70 percent of the world’s advanced chips are produced in Taiwan, which shows the financial and commercial importance of maintaining the status quo.
 
As a major stakeholder in the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan continues to cooperate with like-minded partners to safeguard regional prosperity, the MOFA stated.


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)