Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung expressed gratitude to Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi for highlighting the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait during his meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun at the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Malaysia.
Koizumi noted that security remains the most sensitive aspect of Japan-China relations and voiced serious concern over China’s growing military activity in the East China Sea, the Pacific, and around Japan — including joint drills with Russia. He reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to regional peace, particularly across the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that peace in the Strait is vital to global prosperity and security. Amid rising authoritarian threats, the ministry reaffirmed Taiwan’s resolve to strengthen its self-defense and resilience while cooperating with democratic allies to promote peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific.
The ministry also dismissed China’s protests over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s meeting with Taiwanese envoy Lin Hsin-i during the APEC summit. It stated that Taiwan, as a sovereign and independent nation, has every right to engage with fellow APEC members and will continue deepening ties with Japan to uphold shared values of freedom, democracy, and rule of law.