TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell emphasized the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait in a phone call with Chinese Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu (馬朝旭) on Wednesday (March 27).
The call was part of efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the U.S. and China and prevent escalation of tensions, according to the U.S. Department of State. The two officials discussed issues of mutual concern and regional and global matters.
Campbell also underscored the importance of peace and stability in the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula.
The phone call followed a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) in November, in which both sides agreed to resume high-level military-to-military communication and set up working groups between law enforcement to coordinate counter-narcotic affairs.
Chinese aggression in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region has steadily increased in recent years. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday (March 28) warned Beijing’s belligerence would continue to grow as the U.S. presidential election approaches.
“MOFA will also closely coordinate with the U.S. to respond to whether China and North Korea are seeking to advance their interests in the Indo-Pacific region as the U.S. election draws near,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said.
