US, Japan, South Korea Reaffirm Taiwan Peace at G20, Slam China's Maritime Actions

At the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun. Meeting on the sidelines of the summit, the leaders of the three nations reaffirmed their shared position on maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, while issuing sharp criticism of China's military activities in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Yellow Sea. This dialogue not only highlights trilateral coordination among the U.S., Japan, and South Korea within the Indo-Pacific security architecture, but also demonstrates a high degree of concern over Taiwan's status and sovereignty disputes in surrounding waters.

The situation in the Taiwan Strait has long been one of the most sensitive security issues for the U.S. in the Asia-Pacific region. Since the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, the U.S. has adopted a policy of "strategic ambiguity," neither formally recognizing Taiwan as an independent nation nor failing to ensure, through arms sales and diplomatic engagement, that Taiwan maintains sufficient self-defense capabilities. In recent years, mainland China has conducted frequent military exercises around the Taiwan Strait and stepped up patrols and aerial surveillance in Taiwan's waters, attempting to signal pressure to Taiwan and its allies. During the talks, Rubio reiterated that the U.S. will continue to support Taiwan's defense needs and called on China to halt any actions that could escalate conflict, emphasizing the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait to overall regional security.

Addressing China's actions in the South China Sea, Rubio pointed out that China's "nine-dash line" claim has sparked disputes with multiple nations, and its construction of artificial islands and installation of military facilities in the sea threaten freedom of navigation in surrounding waters. Even more concerning is the continuously rising frequency of China's military drills in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea, which pose a direct challenge to the operational space of the Japanese and South Korean navies. Against this backdrop, the U.S. called on all nations to jointly uphold international law and norms, and to strengthen multilateral cooperation on freedom of navigation to curb unilateralist behavior.

Rubio also expressed concern over cooperation between China and Russia. He noted that deep cooperation between the two countries in the military, energy, and technology sectors is undermining the security balance in the Indo-Pacific region. In particular, their synergy in high-tech weaponry and cyber warfare could pose new threats to the intelligence and defense systems of the U.S. and its allies. The U.S. has enhanced intelligence sharing and joint exercises with Indo-Pacific allies to bolster regional defense capabilities and has leveraged multilateral platforms to apply international pressure against Chinese military expansion.

The trilateral ministerial meeting holds profound significance for strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific region. At the same time, the U.S. is strengthening military cooperation with Japan and South Korea, urging the two nations to maintain a unified stance on issues concerning the Taiwan Strait and the East China Sea to form a tighter security network. For China, sustained military provocations and multilateral pressure may force it to reassess the risks and costs of its regional policies. In the future, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea are likely to deepen cooperation across multiple levels—including military training, intelligence exchange, and economic collaboration—to safeguard regional peace and prosperity.