U.S., Australia reaffirm opposition to changing cross-strait status quo

Washington, Aug. 6 (CNA) The United States and Australian governments issued a joint statement on Tuesday reaffirming the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and their opposition to unilateral changes to the region's status quo.

They also expressed concern over China's military and Coast Guard activity near Taiwan, according to the statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin hosted the 34th Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) on Tuesday in Annapolis, Maryland.

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles were also in attendance.

The meeting aimed to strengthen the U.S.-Australia alliance and the cooperation between the two countries on matters regarding the Indo-Pacific region and globally.

After the consultations, the four U.S. and Australian officials issued a joint statement in which the word "concern" appeared 14 times.

They called for the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues through dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion.

In the statement, they highlighted Taiwan's important role as a critical partner to both countries and as a leading economy and democracy in the Indo-Pacific.

They also reiterated their commitment to support Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations.

The secretaries and ministers committed to boosting economic, trade, and people-to-people ties with Taiwan and enhancing development coordination in the Pacific.

The four officials also stressed the need for all countries to manage strategic competition responsibly and to work to reduce the risk of conflict.

They emphasized the importance of maintaining open communication channels with China to avoid miscommunication or a miscalculation that could lead to unintended escalation or conflict.

Meanwhile, the four encouraged China to engage constructively and take steps to promote stability and transparency.

They emphasized the importance of all states being free to exercise rights and freedoms consistent with international law, including freedom of navigation and overflight.

They also reaffirmed their opposition to any destabilizing or coercive unilateral actions in the South China Sea and East China Sea, which increase tensions and undermine peace and stability, according to the statement.

Moreover, they expressed concern about China's excessive maritime claims in the South China Sea, which are inconsistent with international law and condemned any unilateral actions to change the status quo in the region by force or coercion.

They also criticized China's unsafe and unprofessional encounters with naval vessels and aircraft exercising their right to freedom of navigation and overflight, according to the statement.