After the first US-Japan in-person summit in Washington on Friday, Taiwanese foreign policy experts have predicted that more action would be taken by the Joe Biden administration in relation to the defence of Taiwan.
Both Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in the leader's summit have reaffirmed their commitment to stability in the Taiwan Strait amid growing China tensions.
"As we engaged in an exchange of views over the regional situation, we also discussed the circumstances in Taiwan and Xinjiang." "There's already an agreed recognition over the importance of peace and stability of Taiwan Strait between Japan and the United States, which was reaffirmed on this occasion," he added.
According to Focus Taiwan, it was the first time since 1969 that the joint leaders' statement has directly referenced Taiwan, even though similar wording was adopted in a joint statement after the US-Japan Security Consultative Committee in Tokyo on March 16.
The latest statement expressed the two countries' intention to expand their joint security efforts to the Taiwan Strait, said Kuo Yu-jen, a professor at the Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies at National Sun Yat-sen University.
Professor Kuo predicted that the US will take "a more substantive approach" to the defence of Taiwan in the future.
The joint statement is good news for Taiwan, but it remains to be seen how Taiwan can deepen collaboration with the US and Japan on maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, said Evans Chen Liang-chih, a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
Meanwhile, Taipei has welcomed the joint statement by Japan and the United States which made reference to Taiwan. Taiwan's presidential office spokesperson Xavier Chang expressed appreciation to the two countries for underscoring the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, NHK World reported.
Beijing, on the other hand, expressed 'firm opposition to Washington and Tokyo's demand for a 'stable' Taiwan strait.
A spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in the US has once again reiterated Beijing's defence of its aggression and gross human rights violations as "internal affairs".
"Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang belong to China's internal affairs. The East China Sea and the South China Sea concern China's territorial integrity and maritime rights and interests. These matters bear on China's fundamental interests and allow no interference," the spokesperson from the embassy said.
The embassy further claimed Washington and Japan are "harmful to the interests of a third party, to mutual understanding and trust between regional countries, and peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific."
( With inputs from ANI )
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