《TAIPEI TIMES》US, Japan, S Korea reaffirm Taiwan Strait views

From left, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Motegi Toshimitsu, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun attend a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

EU REPORT: US envoy Marco Rubio expressed concern over ‘destabilizing actions,’ while Taipei thanked the European Parliament for a document backing Taiwan

By Jonathan Chin / Staff writer with CNA The US, Japan and South Korea reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait during a meeting of their top diplomats on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey on Tuesday, the US Department of State said in a statement on Wednesday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Motegi Toshimitsu and South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun in Ankara on Tuesday to discuss how deeper trilateral cooperation could benefit their shared economic interests and promote security and prosperity in a free and open Indo-Pacific region, the statement said.

The three discussed the importance of NATO cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners on issues of mutual interest, including accelerating defense spending and production, combating cyber and hybrid attacks, and sharing information on security developments and challenges in the broader Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions, it said.

Regarding Taiwan, Rubio and his Japanese and South Korean counterparts underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and expressed concern over the “increasingly frequent destabilizing actions around Taiwan,” the statement said.

They also encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues and expressed opposition to any attempts to unilaterally change the “status quo,” particularly by force or coercion, it said.

In related news, the European Parliament on Tuesday adopted a report on geopolitical changes in East Asia and the need for closer cooperation with like-minded partners in the region as a policy recommendation for the bloc.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung （林佳龍） yesterday said that Taiwan welcomed the passage of the policy recommendation and thanked the European Parliament for its continued support for Taiwan.

Taiwan is a trustworthy and crucial democratic partner of the EU in East Asia, and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea are vital to Europe’s interests, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited the report as saying.

The European Parliament urged the bloc to form closer relationships with democratic partners in the region, including Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, it said.

The report recommended that the EU engage Taiwan through trade and investment dialogue, as well as other mechanisms to establish a comprehensive and institutional framework for cooperation, the ministry said.

The document called on the bloc to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations and forums on technical matters, as well as freedom of flight and navigation in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, and interparliamentary ties between Taiwan and the European Parliament, it said.

The EU’s legislature has previously adopted the report on Taiwan-EU Trade and Investment Relations in 2023, condemned China’s improper interpretation of UN Resolution 2758 and military provocation of Taiwan in 2024, and passed the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defense Policy last year, the ministry said.

Taiwan continues its efforts to improve the nation’s links with the EU and other like-minded partners to protect peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and the rules-based international order, and contribute to global peace and prosperity, it said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES