The text of the following statement was released by the Secretary and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the United States of America, Australia and Japan.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa met in Phnom Penh on the sidelines of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting.
The Secretary and Foreign Ministers expressed their commitment to deepening the trilateral partnership between Australia, Japan and the United States to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region. They highlighted that this partnership is based on the unshakable foundation of shared interests and values, including a commitment to freedom, rule of law, human rights, sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes without resorting to the threat or use of force, and freedom of navigation and overflight. The Secretary and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed their determination to support the centrality of ASEAN and the importance of the Pacific Island Countries as partners in the region.
The Secretary and Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. They appreciated ASEAN’s statement on the importance of easing tension in the Taiwan Strait. The three sides share the region’s desire for diplomacy to avoid the risk of miscalculations. The Secretary and Foreign Ministers expressed their concern about recent actions by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that seriously affect international peace and stability, including the use of large-scale military exercises. They condemned the PRC’s launch of ballistic missiles, five of which the Japanese government said had landed in its exclusive economic zones, increasing tension and destabilizing the region. The Secretary and Foreign Ministers urged the PRC to immediately cease military exercises. There is no change in China’s respective policies, where applicable, and basic positions on Taiwan from Australia, Japan or the United States.
