The Presidential Office yesterday welcomed a joint statement by the US and Japan that underscores their commitment to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The statement, issued by the White House after a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, highlighted the countries’ deepening partnership on defense — including of cyber and space defense — as well as on key technologies, healthcare and the climate.
“We oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea. We reiterated our objections to China’s unlawful maritime claims and activities in the South China Sea,” it said.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
“We underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. We share serious concerns regarding the human rights situations in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,” it added.
The government is glad to see that the US and Japan continue to emphasize the importance of peace and stability in the region, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said in a statement yesterday.
Cross-strait relations have become a concern for the Indo-Pacific region and even the world, he said.
Photo: CNA
“We hope that Beijing will fulfill its responsibility ... [and] make positive contributions to regional security and welfare,” he said.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has repeatedly said that Taiwan would not succumb to pressure, nor would it make reckless moves, even if it garners more support, Chang added.
Taiwan, the US and Japan share common values in defending freedom, democracy and human rights, as well as common interests in promoting regional security and prosperity, Chang said, pledging to deepen relations with like-minded partners.
Meanwhile, Japanese Minister of Defense Nobuo Kishi yesterday on Twitter posted photographs of a meeting with soldiers on Japan’s westernmost populated island of Yonaguni.
The photos show him looking toward Taiwan, although he wrote that he could not see it due to the cloudy weather.
Yonaguni is about 110km from Taiwan, and boosting Japan’s southwestern defense system is very important for Japan, Kishi wrote.
During his visit, he has met with Japanese army, navy and air force members on the island, he added.
Separately, Japan-Republic of China Diet Members’ Consultative Council chairman Keiji Furuya yesterday posted a photo on Twitter of Japan’s national flag hoisted in front of a building.
Japanese Representative to Taiwan Hiroyasu Izumi has defied Beijing’s pressure and raised the flag at the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association in Taipei, Furuya said.
The photograph shows Izumi’s official residence in Taipei’s Yangmingshan area (陽明山), where the envoy started flying the flag in January, the association said.
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