Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) emphasized Thursday, January 8, that peace across the Taiwan Strait is of paramount importance, yet while various parties claim to maintain the status quo, their actions have exacerbated the situation. He said he hopes all parties can gradually ease tensions and avoid miscalculations that will lead to the escalation of conflict. The statement was made at the 2026 Regional Outlook Forum, hosted by think tank Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry responded on Thursday evening that Lee Hsien Loong's high level of concern demonstrates a high-level international consensus on maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, a stance which the ministry highly commends. It underscored that to respond to the CCP’s continuous military expansion and pressure on Taiwan, with the ultimate goal of changing the status quo, Taiwan must take proactive measures.

The Foreign Ministry emphasized that in the face of these security challenges, Taiwan will continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities, enhance its overall resilience, and, without proactively escalating conflict, deepen cooperation with like-minded countries, including the United States, in security, economic, and other key areas. It said that Taiwan is committed to maintaining the democratic, free, peaceful, and stable status quo across the Taiwan Strait.