United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the foreign ministers of Australia and Japan held a trilateral strategic dialogue on August 5 in Phnom Penh on the margins of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
The U.S. Secretary and the foreign ministers expressed their commitment to deepening the trilateral partnership among Australia, Japan, and the United States to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
A joint statement was issued following the in-person meeting of U.S. Secretary Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa in Phnom Penh.
“The Secretary and the Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their resolve in supporting ASEAN centrality, and the importance of the Pacific Islands Countries as partners in the region,” according to the official statement.
US, Australia and Japan foreign ministers urged China to immediately cease the military exercises, saying “There is no change in the respective one China policies, where applicable, and basic positions on Taiwan of Australia, Japan, or the United States”
The three sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and share the region’s desire for diplomacy to avoid the risks of miscalculation.
The U.S. Secretary and the two foreign ministers expressed their “concern about the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) recent actions that gravely 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 reported landed in its exclusive economic zones, raising tension and destabilizing the region.
Blinken earlier said that China’s military drills encircling Taiwan are “a significant escalation” and that there was “no justification” for the military exercises by Beijing in response to a visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
