Ankara: The United States, Japan, and South Korea have reiterated their commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. This reaffirmation came during a meeting involving the top diplomats of the three countries, held on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, as announced by the U.S. State Department. According to Focus Taiwan, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun in Ankara. They discussed the potential benefits of deeper trilateral cooperation, which could enhance their shared economic interests and promote security in a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The State Department highlighted that the officials considered the importance of NATO's cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners on mutual interests, such as increasing defense spending, combating cyber and hybrid threats, and sharing information on security challenges in both the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions. Regarding Taiw an, the diplomats emphasized the significance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. They expressed concerns over "increasingly frequent destabilizing actions around Taiwan" and advocated for peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. They opposed unilateral changes to the status quo, particularly those involving force or coercion. These discussions occur amid rising concerns over China's military activities around Taiwan. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has accused China of engaging in "gray-zone" harassment and maritime coercion, claiming that China's activities in the East China Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait are aimed at expansion under the guise of law enforcement and surveys.
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