U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the United States will not “abandon” its partners in the Indo-Pacific region, South Korea and Japan.

According to the U.S. State Department, Rubio made the remarks in a Fox News interview when asked about the country’s defense commitment to Taiwan.

Rubio said China is trying to drive the U.S. out of the Indo-Pacific region, adding that the U.S. has strong relationships with its allies and partners in the region and will not abandon South Korea and Japan.

The secretary also stressed the need to enhance his country’s domestic capabilities to respond to China’s growing defense capabilities, pointing out that the U.S. lags behind China in shipbuilding.

Shipbuilding is considered one of the areas in which South Korea and the U.S. may forge cooperation. 

As for Taiwan, Rubio affirmed his country’s “long-standing” opposition to any coercive change in the status of Taiwan.