TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Saturday thanked the US for reaffirming its commitments to Taiwan.

In an interview with Canadian journalist Catherine Herridge on Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Washington’s opposition to any “compelled, forced change of status” in the Taiwan Strait and said the US was “not seeking to trigger a conflict.” He also reaffirmed the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances as the foundation of US policy toward Taiwan.

Lin expressed appreciation for Rubio’s stance against altering the status quo “through force or coercion” and for his support of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. He said preserving the status quo is essential to regional stability and pledged continued cooperation with the US to strengthen Taiwan’s defense and promote peace.

Last week, Rubio and the foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea issued a joint statement at the Munich Security Conference emphasizing the importance of maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait. They described peace in the strait as “an indispensable element of security and prosperity” for the world and called for a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.

The officials also rejected unilateral attempts to change the regional status quo through force or coercion and pledged to strengthen deterrence through continued trilateral military exercises.