A joint statement was issued by US Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa after their in-person meeting in Phnom Penh on the margins of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
"No change in the respective one-China policies, where applicable, and basic positions on Taiwan of the G7 members” they said.
Expressing their commitment to deepening the trilateral partnership among Australia, Japan, and the United States to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific region, the three diplomats highlighted that this partnership rests 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 threat or use of force, and freedom of navigation and overflight.
Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is vital, not just for Taiwan but for the Philippines and many other countries, Blinken told reporters during the joint press meeting with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo.
Taiwan was not the only country affected by the Chinese drills this week. Japan's Defense Ministry announced on the first day of the military exercise that five ballistic missiles launched by China landed in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and four of them had flown over Taipei.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, who is also in Cambodia for the ASEAN event, on Friday expressed concerns over heightened tensions across the strait. He made clear his country's objection to "any attempts to change the status quo by force," according to Yonhap News Agency.
On Saturday Taiwan’s defense ministry accused Chinese aircraft and ships of carrying out simulation attack exercises on its main island. Several batches of Chinese aircraft and ships were detected in the Taiwan Strait, 14 of which crossed the median line – an unofficial buffer separating the two sides – according to the ministry. Taiwan’s army used patrolling naval ships and put shore-based missiles on stand-by in response.
However, China has accused the US of interfering in Beijing’s internal affairs. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, said the US should have stopped Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last week.
Also, The Chinese embassy warned Australia against involvement in its actions over Taiwan, saying “finger-pointing” against Beijing was unacceptable. Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong earlier condemned Beijing’s “disproportionate and destabilizing” actions, saying she had expressed her concern to her Chinese counterpart at the East Asia Summit in Cambodia.