G7 defense ministers in a joint statement on Saturday singled out China over a number of concerns, including its “provocative actions” near Taiwan.
The defense ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US gathered in Naples, Italy, from Friday to yesterday for the group’s first ministerial meeting dedicated to defense.
In the joint declaration, they stressed “enduring unity and common determination to address, in a cohesive and concrete manner, security challenges, at a time in history marked by great instability.”
Photo: Massimiliano De Giorgi / Italian Ministry of Defense / AFP
In addition to voicing support for Ukraine, expressing concern about the escalating conflict in the Middle East and condemning North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, the ministers affirmed their “commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, based on the rule of law and upholding the principle of the peaceful resolution of disputes without resorting to the threat or use of force.”
“We reaffirm that maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is indispensable to international security and prosperity,” it said. “We are concerned about provocative actions, particularly the recent [Chinese] People’s Liberation Army military drills around Taiwan.”
“We call for a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues,” it added.
The declaration also expressed concern about the situation in the South China Sea.
“There is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and we are strongly opposed to China’s repeated obstruction of freedom of navigation, militarization of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating activities, as well as the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea,” it said.
They also expressed their “deep concern at China’s increasing support to Russia’s war economy” and the “destabilizing actions resulting from the strengthening military cooperation between China and Russia.”
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the G7 defense ministers for their firm support in maintaining the peaceful “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait.
As a responsible member of the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan would continue to strengthen cooperation with G7 nations and take concrete actions to defend the universal values of democracy, freedom and human rights, it said.
Separately, the Australian Taiwanese Friendship Association (ATFA) on Saturday expressed gratitude to the Australian Senate, which on Aug. 21 unanimously passed a motion stating that UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 does not establish the People’s Republic of China’s sovereignty over Taiwan and does not determine the future status of Taiwan in the UN.
New ATFA president Kathy Sieh (謝明君) made the remark at the 27th inauguration ceremony of the association in Sydney.
Taiwanese in Australia urged the Australian government to take a leadership role in advocating for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, she said, adding that the presidents of other Taiwanese friendship associations in Australia and Taiwan-related civic groups also gathered at the ceremony to show their support for Taiwan’s participation in the UN.
The China Coast Guard yesterday said it had “expelled” a Japanese ship from waters around the Diaoyutais (釣魚台). The uninhabited islands — which are known as the Senkakus in Japan — are claimed by Taipei and Beijing, but are administered by Tokyo. China Coast Guard spokesman Liu Dejun (劉德軍) said that a Japanese fishing vessel had “illegally entered territorial waters” around the islands from Tuesday to Wednesday. The coast guard “took necessary control measures in accordance with the law, warned [the ship] and expelled it,” Liu said in an online statement. “The Diaoyu and affiliated islands are China’s inherent territory and we urge the
The military detected a record 153 Chinese military aircraft around the nation, the Ministry of National Defense announced today, after China held a day of large-scale drills yesterday. The aircraft were spotted in the 25-hour period until 6am today, the ministry said in a statement — the most for a single day. Beijing deployed fighter jets, drones, warships and coast guard boats to encircle Taiwan yesterday, with Taiwan responding by dispatching "appropriate forces" and placing its outlying islands on heightened alert. The ministry typically records the numbers of Chinese warplanes and warships operating around Taiwan in 24-hour periods from 6am to 6am the
A research team led by National Tsing Hua University Department of Physics and Center for Quantum Science and Technology professor Chuu Chih-sung (褚志崧) has developed Taiwan’s first and the world’s smallest quantum computer, using a single photon, the university said yesterday. Chuu said in the study, which was published in the journal Physical Review Applied last month, that they had resolved the main obstacles for quantum computing development — high energy costs and a low-temperature operating environment. Chuu said that photons are the smallest possible particle of electromagnetic energy, and his team had devised a way to encode information in 32time
China simultaneously employed cognitive warfare while conducting military drills around Taiwan on Monday, the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau insinuated yesterday The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) early on Monday launched military drills code-named “Joint Sword-2024B” involving its army, navy, air and rocket forces in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan. They ended at 6pm. The bureau said it had found several false reports online, such as untrue assertions of Taiwan’s military failing to respond quickly and that ships carrying liquefied natural gas had been forced to turn around. The messages formed “cognitive manipulation” by “overseas