The United States and Australia issued a statement Tuesday voicing support for Taiwan’s role in the Indo-Pacific region.
The joint statement was the result of this year’s Australia-US Ministerial Consultations. The consultations are the main annual forum for discussions between the two countries, and have been held since 1985.
In the statement, the two countries reaffirmed their intent to maintain strong unofficial ties with Taiwan. They also said that they will support Taiwan’s membership in international organizations where statehood is not a prerequisite.
The US and Australia say they will also work with Taiwan to “enhance donor coordination,” with a focus on development assistance to Pacific Island countries. On Wednesday, spokesperson for Taiwan’s foreign ministry Joanne Ou said this means that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy is seeing good results.
Ou also says that Taiwan hopes the US government will relax all outdated restrictions on US-Taiwan relations.