US, UK reaffirm commitment to safeguard peace in Taiwan Strait, South China Sea
Sep 11, 2024
Taipei [Taiwan], September 11 : US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy discussed mutual measures needed to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, Taiwan News reported.
Both diplomats launched the "UK-US Strategic Dialogue" in London on Tuesday, in which both leaders discussed joint efforts to ensure peace and stability in the region.
After the meeting, Blinken stated at a joint press conference that the two discussed how to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, as well as freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.
Further, Blinken added that his trip demonstrated the firm transatlantic support aligned with NATO allies, Indo-Pacific partners, and over 50 countries that continue to back Ukraine. He blamed Beijing for enabling Russia to continue its war against Ukraine by being its biggest supplier of machine tools and microelectronics.
The secretary of state said that talks continued on trilateral cooperation with Australia via AUKUS, particularly concerning nuclear-powered submarines. He said this shows surging efforts to connect allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific "because what happens in one theatre has an impact on the other."
Blinken said he and Lammy covered "joint efforts to ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and freedom of navigation and overflight of the South China Sea." Blinken said both countries view maintaining peace and stability and preserving the status quo as essential.
"And it's essential not just to us; it's, again, essential to countries all around the world," added Blinken.
Meanwhile, every day Taiwan reports Chinese military activity near its territory. So far this month, Taiwan has tracked 158 Chinese military aircraft and 88 ships. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels operating around Taiwan, as per Taiwan News.
Notably, Taiwan has been governed independently since 1949. However, China considers Taiwan part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.
