Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa met in Phnom Penh on the margins of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
The 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. They highlighted 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. 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.
The Secretary and the Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. They appreciated ASEAN’s statement about the importance of deescalating tension in the Taiwan Strait. The three sides share the region’s desire for diplomacy to avoid the risks of miscalculation. The Secretary and the 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. The Secretary and the Foreign Ministers urged the PRC to immediately cease the military exercises. There is no change in the respective one China policies, where applicable, and basic positions on Taiwan of Australia, Japan, or the United States.
