Top diplomats from the Group of Seven industrial powers voiced shared concerns on Tuesday about China's expansionist tendencies in Asia, even as they sought to present a united front on Russia's destabilizing war in Europe.
"We remind China of the need to uphold the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and abstain from threats, coercion, intimidation, or the use of force," the G7 foreign ministers said in their post-summit communique, which drew strong condemnation from Beijing.
The lengthy joint statement followed three days of talks in Karuizawa, a resort town in Japan's central Nagano prefecture, between representatives from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S., plus the European Union. The major economies have collectively imposed the heaviest sanctions on Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, now in its 14th month.
"We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion," the ministers said. "There is no legal basis for China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and we oppose China's militarization activities in the region."
For the third year in a row, the G7 underscored "the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element in security and prosperity in the international community."
Beijing claims Taiwan as its own, but Taipei rejects the sovereignty claims. Western leaders say China means to use the threat of force to coerce the democratically governed island into accepting a future under Communist Party rule.
The G7 communique continued a pattern in recent years of highlighting "reported human rights violations and abuses, including in Xinjiang and Tibet." The document was also critical of "the continued erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy rights and freedoms" following Beijing's yearslong crackdown of the city's democracy movement.
"We acknowledge the need to work together with China on global challenges as well as areas of common interest, including on climate change, biodiversity, global health security, and gender equality," the diplomats said. "We reiterate our call for China to act as a responsible member of the international community."
"We encourage China to uphold its commitments to act responsibly in cyberspace, including refraining from conducting or supporting cyber-enabled intellectual property theft for commercial gain," they said in references to a decades-old concern.
Wang Wenbin, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, responded to the extensive rebuke on Tuesday by accusing the G7 of having "grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, and maliciously smeared and discredited China."
"The communique is full of arrogance, prejudice and anti-China sentiments to contain China," said Wang, who noted that a complaint was lodged with the host nation Japan.
"As a responsible major country, China firmly acts on the U.N. Charter and the basic principles of international law," he said. "We once again urge the G7 to reflect on their own problems at home, and discard Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice."
China's state-owned tabloid the Global Times in an editorial on April 18 said Japan had "added a pungent Japanese seasoning to the traditional American formula of the G7 meeting," citing Tokyo's inclusion of Taiwan-related concerns.
The opening section of the G7 document dealt at length with immediate concerns about Russia's war in Ukraine. "Russia must withdraw all forces and equipment from Ukraine immediately and unconditionally," said the officials, who said they "recommit today to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes."
They reiterated support for President Volodymyr Zelensky's 10-point peace formula, which was backed by a majority of U.N. member states in a February vote.
"Russia's irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and its threat to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus are unacceptable. Any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences," they said.
"There can be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities such as Russia's attacks against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure," said the ministers. "We further condemn the unlawful transfer and deportation of Ukrainians, including children, and conflict-related sexual violence against Ukrainians."
G7 leaders including President Joe Biden will meet in Hiroshima from May 19-21.
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
John Feng is Newsweek's contributing editor for Asia based in Taichung, Taiwan. His focus is on East Asian politics. He ... Read more
