TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Leaders of the U.S., Australia, Japan and South Korea reaffirmed the imperative of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait last Sunday (November 13), as cross-strait security is a joint concern among democracies.

Alongside the 17th East Asia Summit in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, a bilateral leaders' meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was held, followed by a trilateral leaders' meeting between Biden and his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, Fumio Kishida and Yoon Suk-yeol. Preserving peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits was reiterated in both meetings.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Spokesperson Joanne Ou (歐江安) responded on Thursday (November 17) that Taiwan sincerely welcomes this latest demonstration of support and expresses its gratitude to the leaders of the U.S., Australia, Japan, and Republic of Korea.

According to Ou, the high regard that four governments continue to hold for cross-strait security reasserts the fact that democracies have been reaching a strong degree of consensus on the preservation of cross-strait peace and stability.

Ou also pointed out that Biden showed strong support and resolute commitment to Taiwan's security during his meeting with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping. As Biden opposed any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side and stated that the world has an interest in the maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

"Taiwan is a responsible member of the Indo-Pacific democratic community...Taiwan will continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and cooperate closely with like-minded countries to jointly counter coercion by authoritarian regimes; safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait; and ensure a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific," Ou said.