TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The inaugural trilateral Indo-Pacific Dialogue was held in Washington D.C. on Jan. 5 between the governments of the U.S., Japan, and South Korea.

The joint statement issued by the three allies “affirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” while also recognizing recent “dangerous and escalatory behavior” of China in the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded in a press release and expressed gratitude to all three nations for recognizing the importance of peace in the region to ensure regional security and prosperity.

The Indo-Pacific Dialogue was attended by Dan Kritenbrink, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Kobe Yasuhiro, the Deputy Director-General of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Chung Byung-won, the Deputy Minister of the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The three leaders emphasized the need for regional cooperation and reiterated their commitment to enforcing international law to ensure security at sea.

The statement also affirmed the allies’ support for the maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. The press release declared that all three countries oppose any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by China “by force or coercion anywhere in the waters of the Indo-Pacific.”

In addition to expressing gratitude to the U.S., Japan, and South Korea for their commitment to defend a free and open Indo-Pacific, the press release from Taiwan’s foreign ministry also noted that China has been increasing its threatening and antagonistic behavior towards Taiwan in an attempt to influence Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election.

The foreign ministry welcomed the statement from the Indo-Pacific Dialogue and affirmed Taiwan’s commitment to safeguard peace in the region and to reject attempts by China to coerce or intimidate the Taiwanese people.