A joint statement released by the foreign and defense ministers from Australia and the U.K. voicing support for Taiwan is deeply appreciated, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Dec. 17.

The document was released following the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) held Dec. 16 in London. Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, met with the U.K. Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy and Secretary of State for Defence John Healey.

The statement emphasized the importance of stability across the Taiwan Strait and encouraged peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues without the use of coercion. The ministers also reaffirmed their countries’ opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo, it said.

The U.K. and Australia are committed to collaboratively promoting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, and the statement reiterated their determination to deepen relations with Taiwan in culture, economy, science, technology and trade.

The MOFA also thanked Wong for a post on her personal X account Dec. 14, in which she openly expressed gratitude to Taiwan, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the U.S. for collaborating with Tuvalu, one of Taiwan’s allies, to construct the Central Pacific Cable. The undersea communications cable is the first to reach Tuvalu, and is expected to greatly enhance the country’s digital resilience.

Australia and the U.K. share common values of democracy, freedom and the rules of law with Taiwan, the MOFA said, adding that both countries are major voices for peace in the Indo-Pacific. Taiwan will continue to work with the two countries and other like-minded partners to uphold stability across the strait, defend the rules-based international order and advance regional and international prosperity, the ministry concluded. 


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php