US, Japanese Leaders Speak For Peace, Stability In Taiwan Strait - Joint Statement

WASHINGTON/TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th April, 2021) US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga have spoken for peace and security in the Taiwan Strait, the joint statement published by the White House said.

On late Friday, Biden and Suga held a meeting in the US capital of Washington DC. Suga has become the first foreign leader, who met with Biden since the latter headed the United States.

"We underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues," the statement said

According to Japan's Kyodo news agency, this is the first mention of the word "Taiwan" in the joint statements of the US and Japanese leaders since 1969.

In the joint statement, Biden and Suga expressed serious concern over alleged human rights violations in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

"The United States restated its unwavering support for Japan's defense under the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, using its full range of capabilities, including nuclear," the statement reads.

The United States also stressed that Article 5 of the Japan-US Security Treaty, which guarantees the protection of Japan by the United States in case of a foreign attack, applies for the contested Senkaku Islands (known as the Diaoyu Islands in China) in the East China Sea.

"We oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea. We reiterated our objections to China's unlawful maritime claims and activities in the South China Sea and reaffirmed our strong shared interest in a free and open South China Sea governed by international law, in which freedom of navigation and overflight are guaranteed, consistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," the statement said.

Biden and Suga reaffirmed their commitment to the full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and called on Pyongyang to fulfill resolutions of the UN Security Council.

The leaders also condemned the violence, committed by the military and police in Myanmar following the recent coup.