Nov. 14, 2022
US-Taiwan-Japan Maritime Safety Working Group Report
The United States, Taiwan, and Japan all consider a stable maritime environment critical for security and prosperity. For each of them, maritime stability in the East and South China Seas – and more broadly across the Indo-Pacific region – represents their respective national interests in preserving open sea lanes for transit and trade, reinforcing international norms and rule of law, and reducing the potential for conflict in sovereign and international waters. In recent years, however, all three parties have become increasingly alarmed by the deteriorating maritime safety environment in the Indo-Pacific region, in the East and South China Seas in particular. Especially in the waters surrounding the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and the Taiwan Strait, Taipei, Tokyo, and Washington have all intensified their sense of urgency in exploring ways to preserve a safe maritime environment. The U.S.-Taiwan-Japan Maritime Safety Working Group was convened based on such concerns.