U.S., EU express support for Taiwan's international participation

Washington, Feb. 23 (CNA) The United States and the European Union issued a joint statement Friday praising Taiwan for its vibrant democracy and expressing support for its meaningful participation in international organizations.

The statement was released following talks between the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and the European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino, which were held from Feb. 7-8.

The two officials touched on a number of issues that included Taiwan during the sixth High-Level U.S.-EU Dialogue on China and the fifth U.S.-EU High-Level Consultations on the Indo-Pacific, according to the statement.

The statement said that the U.S. and the EU "affirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and called for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues."

Both sides "welcomed Taiwan's vibrant democratic process, including the presidential and legislative elections in January" and expressed "support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations," the statement said.

It added that while the U.S. and the EU supported Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations, "there is no change in their basic positions on Taiwan, including stated one China policies."

During the meeting, the two officials also spoke about U.S. and EU diplomatic efforts with China and the trajectory of their respective bilateral relationships.

"Under Secretary Nuland and Secretary General Sannino reiterated their openness to continued substantive engagement with China both where there are areas of common interest and on areas of difference," the statement said.

The two officials, meanwhile, also discussed the need for increased global awareness and decisive action to address continued human rights abuses by China.

According to the statement, the U.S. Department of State and the European External Action Service plans to hold the next round of talks in Brussels later this year.