Diplomats from the G7 nations yesterday reached a deal on a joint statement aimed at showing unity after weeks of tension between US allies and President Donald Trump over his upending of Western trade, security and Ukraine-related policy, three G7 officials said.
The statement, an all-encompassing document touching on geopolitical issues from across the world, still needed to get the green light from ministers before they wrapped up talks yesterday morning, the diplomats said.
The draft states G7 opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait by force or coercion.
Photo: AFP
“I think we’re on track to have a strong statement. I’m confident that can be the case. It is normal in a G7 that there are negotiations until late in the night, and actually, I think ... political directors were really happy, because they went to bed earlier,” Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly told reporters.
The G7 ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US, along with the EU, convened in the remote tourist town of La Malbaie, nestled in the Quebec hills, for meetings on Thursday and yesterday that in the past have been broadly consensual.
However, in the run-up to the first G7 meeting of Canada’s presidency, the crafting of an agreed final statement had been difficult with wrangling over the language regarding Ukraine, the Middle East and Washington’s desire for tougher wording on China.
G7 officials said that it was imperative to show Western unity, especially in light of efforts to get a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
In the final draft, they removed a promise of security guarantees to ensure a truce, referring to “assurances,” but did warn Moscow to follow Kyiv in agreeing to a ceasefire or face further sanctions, including oil price caps.
“G7 members called for Russia to reciprocate by agreeing to a ceasefire on equal terms and implementing it fully,” the draft says.
“They emphasized that any ceasefire must be respected, and underscored the need for robust and credible security arrangements to ensure that Ukraine can deter and defend against any renewed acts of aggression,” the diplomats said in a reference to Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Washington had sought to impose red lines on language around Ukraine to not harm its talks with Russia and opposed a separate declaration on curbing Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet, a murky shipping network that eludes sanctions, while demanding more robust language on China.
There had also been wrangling over language regarding Gaza and the Middle East, notably the notion of a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something the US was resisting.
The final draft made no mention of a two-state solution, dropping language that had stressed its importance in earlier drafts of the text.
“They underscored the imperative of a political horizon for the Palestinian people, achieved through a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that meets the legitimate needs and aspirations of both peoples and advances comprehensive Middle East peace, stability and prosperity,” the draft says.
NATIONAL SECURITY: The Chinese influencer shared multiple videos on social media in which she claimed Taiwan is a part of China and supported its annexation Freedom of speech does not allow comments by Chinese residents in Taiwan that compromise national security or social stability, the nation’s top officials said yesterday, after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) revoked the residency permit of a Chinese influencer who published videos advocating China annexing Taiwan by force. Taiwan welcomes all foreigners to settle here and make families so long as they “love the land and people of Taiwan,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers during a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The public power of the government must be asserted when necessary and the Ministry of
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
Proposed amendments would forbid the use of all personal electronic devices during school hours in high schools and below, starting from the next school year in August, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. The Regulations on the Use of Mobile Devices at Educational Facilities up to High Schools (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則) state that mobile devices — defined as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches or other wearables — should be turned off at school. The changes would stipulate that use of such devices during class is forbidden, and the devices should be handed to a teacher or the school for safekeeping. The amendments also say
CONSISTENT COMMITMENT: The American Institute in Taiwan director said that the US would expand investment and trade relationships to make both nations more prosperous The US would not abandon its commitment to Taiwan, and would make Taiwan safer, stronger and more prosperous, American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said. “The US’ commitment to Taiwan has been consistent over many administrations and over many years, and we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan, including our opposition to any attempt to use force or coercion to change Taiwan’s status,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Friday last week, which was published in the Chinese-language newspaper yesterday. The US would double down on its efforts
RSS