G7 foreign ministers on Friday took a tough stance on China, stepping up their language on Taiwan and omitting some conciliatory references from past statements, including to “one China” policies.
A statement by ministers meeting in Canada mirrored last month’s Japan-US statement in condemning “coercion” toward Taiwan.
Compared with a G7 foreign ministers’ statement in November last year, the statement added members’ concerns over China’s nuclear buildup, although it omitted references to their concerns about Beijing’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.
Photo: AP
Also missing were references stressing the desire for “constructive and stable relations with China” and recognizing the “importance of direct and candid engagement to express concerns and manage differences.”
The statement dropped past reassurances that there is no change in the basic position of the G7 members on Taiwan, including “one China” policies, as well as that the G7 is “not decoupling or turning inwards” and recognizing the importance of China in global trade.
The so-called “one China” policy, which recognizes Beijing as the official government of China and ensures that ties with Taipei remain unofficial, has been the bedrock of Western dealings with China and Taiwan for decades.
Referring again to Taiwan, the statement said the ministers “encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues and reiterated their opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.”
Taiwan yesterday expressed thanks to the G7 foreign ministers for reiterating the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait in their joint statement.
The joint statement also encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues, reiterated opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the “status quo” by force or coercion, and expressed support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The ministry said it thanks the G7 members for continuously using concrete actions to demonstrate their firm support for maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan would continue to strengthen cooperation with G7 members and allies in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, defend the rules-based international order, firmly protect the universal values of democracy and freedom, and together establish “non-red supply chains” to enhance economic resilience among the democratic camp, it said.
A spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Canada said the G7 statements “ignore facts and China’s solemn position, grossly interfere in China’s internal affairs and blatantly smear China.”
Beijing “resolutely opposes the G7’s misdeeds of harming China’s sovereignty,” the spokesperson said, adding that “the key to upholding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait lies in abiding by the one China principle.”
The G7 foreign ministers, who have been meeting in the remote tourist town of La Malbaie, Canada, this week, said they were seriously concerned by the situations in the East China and South China seas.
They expressed concern over the increasing use of “dangerous maneuvers and water cannons,” and efforts to restrict freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, referring to China’s actions against the Philippines and Vietnam.
The members also expressed concern about Beijing’s non-market policies and practices, saying these were leading to harmful over-capacity and market distortions.
They called on China to refrain from adopting export control measures that could lead to significant supply chain disruptions.
The Chinese embassy said the Asia-Pacific region is “not a chessboard for geopolitical rivalries,” and urged the G7 to “abandon the Cold War mentality, and stop creating bloc confrontation and fueling tensions in the region.”
The embassy added that it rejects the G7’s “groundless” accusations of China’s over-capacity and market distortions, saying that “it is precisely the G7 members that have politicized and weaponized economic and trade issues.”
Additional reporting by Lee I-chia
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