TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — United States President Joe Biden discussed Taiwan with Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Sunday (Nov. 13) on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

A White House statement said the leaders agreed on the centrality of an “ASEAN-led regional architecture." They also talked about AUKUS, the security pact the two countries share with the United Kingdom.

Biden thanked Albanese for standing with the U.S. and its allies to “impose costs on Russia for its unprovoked war on Ukraine. The leaders recognized the imperative of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," per the White House statement.

Speaking at the summit later the same day, Biden confirmed the U.S. will “compete vigorously with the PRC (China) and speak out regarding the PRC’s human rights abuses. It would, however, also ensure that competition would not veer into conflict."

“He reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” the White House statement added.