At the Australia-France Foreign and Defence (2+2) Ministerial Consultations, the two countries issued a joint statement to emphasize the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. They have also pledged to deepen ties with Taiwan. Meanwhile, Japan plans to conduct an evacuation drill for their outlying islands in March amid Taiwan tensions.
In the face of China's military threat, Japan is increasingly worried that "something" will happen to Taiwan. According to Japan's Nikkei News, the Japanese government plans to evacuate the five outlying islands of Yonaguni, Taketomi, Ishigaki, Tarama, and Miyakojima to avoid being affected if China invades Taiwan. The evacuation drill is expected to take place in March.
Chen Wen-chia, Vice President, Taiwan Society of Japan Studies: “Japan has been deploying its military to the Okinawa Islands. With this evacuation plan, it's obvious that the U.S.-Japan involvement in the Taiwan Strait has already been determined and is imperative. When China naturally wants to unify Taiwan by force, it must also attack the Okinawa Islands in order to achieve anti-access and area denial to enemy forces.”
Japan is not the only one worried about the situation in the Taiwan Strait. The 2+2 joint statement issued by France and Australia once again emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. It calls for a peaceful solution to cross-Strait issues and opposes unilateral changes in the status quo. The statement also supports Taiwan's participation in international organizations and deepening relations with Taiwan, which is stronger than the statement two years ago. As China continues to threaten Taiwan, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will visit Beijing in February and may express concern to China about the Taiwan issue.
Mao Ning, Spokesperson, Foreign Ministry, China: “The Taiwan issue is at the heart of China's core interests. It is the political foundation of Sino-U.S. relations. It is the first insurmountable red line in Sino-U.S. relations. The U.S. should not even try to cross this red line at any time.”
China's foreign ministry stresses that Taiwan is an insurmountable red line. Blinken is expected to hold talks with the newly appointed Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. It will be the first time in four years that the U.S. Secretary of State has visited China.
面對中國武力威脅台灣，日本越來越擔心台灣有事。根據日本《產經新聞》報導，日本政府規劃如果中國侵略台灣，與那國町、竹富町、石垣市、多良間村和宮古島市5個離島，為了避免被戰火波及，將會撤離避難，預計3月就會實施演練。
當代日本研究學會第一副會長陳文甲分析：「日本近年來一直在做沖繩諸島的軍事部署，而且又訂了這個撤離計畫。那顯而易見的，美日對台海這個部分的介入，已經是鐵了心，而且是勢在必行。中國自然要武統台灣的時候，他必須也會去針對沖繩諸島去做攻擊，以做到這個反介入跟區域拒止。」
不只日本擔憂台海局勢，法國和澳洲發表的2+2聯合聲明，再度強調台海和平穩定重要性，呼籲和平解決兩岸問題，反對單方面改變現況。聲明中也支持台灣參與國際組織，並與台灣深化關係，力度比兩年前的聲明更強烈。面對共軍持續威脅台灣，美國國務卿布林肯2月將訪問北京，可能對中國表達關切台灣議題。
中國外交部發言人毛寧表示：「台灣問題是中國核心利益中的核心、是中美關係的政治基礎、是中美關係第1條不可逾越的紅線。美方任何時候，都不要試圖突破這條紅線。」
中國外交部強調，台灣是不可逾越的紅線。而布林肯預計和新上任的中國外交部長秦剛會談，將是睽違4年，再度有美國國務卿訪問中國。
