U.S.-Korea communiqué notes importance of cross-Taiwan Strait stability

Washington, Oct. 30 (CNA) A joint communiqué issued by the United States and South Korean governments has taken note of the importance of maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait and reaffirmed security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Both sides "acknowledged the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," said the communiqué released after U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his Korean counterpart Kim Yong-hyun convened the 56th Security Consultative Meeting in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.

Such a position is in line with a joint statement signed by the two countries last April in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of their alliance, the communiqué added.

According to the communiqué, Austin and Kim recognized the "complex regional and global security situation" and reaffirmed their "commitment to strengthen defense cooperation" with partnered countries in the Indo-Pacific to contribute to regional security.

The two officials were referring to countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as the Pacific island nations.

The security meeting, which both sides described as having "played a pivotal role" in expanding their alliance on a global scale, primarily focused on the joint efforts of the U.S. and South Korea to maintain the stability on the Korean Peninsula and to deter nuclear threats from North Korea.

In a press release on Thursday (Taipei time), Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) welcomed and thanked the U.S. and South Korea for having expressed their concern regarding the security of the Taiwan Strait in the communiqué for the fourth consecutive year.

Taiwan will continue to work with like-minded countries such as the U.S. and South Korea to contribute to "peace, stability and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait and the region," MOFA said.