TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Australia and the Philippines underscored the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in a joint statement released on Friday.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. held the third Australia-Philippines Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Darwin, Australia, on Friday. Marles and Teodoro opposed any unilateral action to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and supported cross-strait dialogue “rather than coercion or the use of force,” per the statement.
The two officials also reiterated their commitment to bolstering bilateral defense and security cooperation. They said developments in the Indo-Pacific “have broadened and intensified” and pledged to continue working together to uphold international law and the rules-based order “so that nations can exercise their rights free from coercion.”
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) welcomed the statement. “Australia, the Philippines, and Taiwan are like-minded partners that share universal values such as democracy, freedom, and the rule of law,” the foreign ministry said.
It said the joint statement demonstrates that maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, and the Indo-Pacific has become “a consensus of the international community.” The ministry vowed to continue working with like-minded countries to uphold the rules-based international order and promote regional peace.
