TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The foreign and defense ministers of Australia and New Zealand said they oppose unilateral changes to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait on Friday.

Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong and defense minister Richard Marles joined New Zealand’s foreign minister Winston Peters and defense minister Judith Collins in releasing a wide-ranging statement on both countries’ foreign policy priorities.

“Ministers reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and their shared opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo,” the statement read. “They called for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues through dialogue without the threat or use of force or coercion.”

The ministers also said both countries are committed to strengthening cooperation with Taiwan in trade, cultural fields, and Pacific development.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry thanked the countries for the statement on Saturday. “Australia and New Zealand are important friendly countries in the Indo-Pacific region, and bilateral relations have made considerable progress in recent years,” the ministry said in a statement.  

Australia and New Zealand have issued similar statements multiple times. The countries’ most recent joint statement on the Taiwan Strait was in August.