Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Wednesday acknowledged recent remarks by a U.S. State Department official reaffirming strong support for Taiwan’s participation in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), saying that Taiwan will continue strengthening cooperation with the United States to jointly promote peace and prosperity both regionally and globally.

Matt Murray, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, recently participated in an online State Department press briefing. While explaining the results of the U.S. participation in this year’s PIF, he specifically highlighted efforts by Taiwan, the U.S., and other like-minded countries to ensure that all PIF member states are connected to a trusted undersea cable network. 

Responding to questions from the media, Murray reiterated that the U.S. strongly supports Taiwan’s continued participation in the PIF. He also expressed U.S. opposition and concern over what Washington described as China’s malicious efforts in the region to pressure countries to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan, restrict their bilateral relations with Taiwan, and oppose Taiwan’s participation in the forum.

Lin welcomed Murray’s statements and noted that the last time he led a delegation to participate in activities related to the PIF, they engaged in extensive exchanges with representatives of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the Pacific and like-minded countries. He said Taiwan looks forward to working with the United States and other partners in third countries such as Palau to address development needs in the Pacific and enhance regional resilience.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) stated: “We will continue to uphold the spirit of the Pacific Way with the forum and its member states, deepening the partnerships we have built upon mutual trust and cooperation through comprehensive diplomacy.”