On Tuesday, September 24th, US President Biden delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, marking his last address during his term. He reiterated the United States’ stance on the Taiwan Strait issue.
In his speech, when discussing US-China relations, Biden stated that the US will fearlessly push back against unfair economic competition and oppose military coercion by other countries in the South China Sea.
The President also emphasized that the US will continue to uphold “peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, protect our most advanced technologies, ensuring they are not used against us or any of our partners.”
This is not the first time Biden has mentioned the Taiwan Strait issue in his UN General Assembly speech. During the UN General Assembly meeting in 2022, Biden expressed that the US will lead diplomatically to seek peaceful conflict resolution. The US remains opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo.
While addressing the Taiwan issue, Biden also highlighted the strengthening of US relationships in the Indo-Pacific region in his speech on Tuesday.
“At the same time, we will continue to strengthen our network of alliances and partnerships across the entire Indo-Pacific region. These partnerships are not aimed at any one country. They are the foundation of a free, open, secure, and peaceful Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
Just a few days ago, Biden hosted the leaders of the Quad (the United States, India, Australia, and Japan) in Wilmington, Delaware.
During the Quad summit, the leaders of the four countries expressed their commitment to maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific region, opposing actions that disrupt stability, and promoting regional security and prosperity.
While meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida separately, Biden reaffirmed their determination to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and emphasized opposition to any attempts to change the status quo through force. The two leaders also discussed their respective diplomatic relations with the Chinese Communist Party and their shared concerns about China’s threats and destabilizing activities, including those in the South China Sea.
On the same day as Biden’s speech, the G7 foreign ministers held a meeting in New York and issued a statement.
“The G7 member countries reiterated that maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is essential for international security and prosperity and called for the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. The G7 member countries’ fundamental position on the Taiwan issue, including the One-China policy, remains unchanged,” the statement said.
The G7 also supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.