Tokyo: The Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers reiterated their demand on China to act responsibly as a member of the international community on Tuesday, stating that peace and stability were a “indispensable element” of global security.
“There is no change in the basic positions of the G-7 members on Taiwan,” the foreign ministers emphasised in a joint statement following a three-day summit in central Japan’s Karuizawa.
The ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States (US), as well as the European Union, expressed worry about the situation in the East and South China Seas and criticised China’s “militarization activities” in the region.
The G-7 statement was released in response to comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron during a recent visit to China, in which he warned that Europe should avoid becoming a “follower” of either Beijing or Washington, and stay out of any disputes between the two nations over Taiwan.
“We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas,” the G-17 ministers’ communiqué from their meeting in Japan stated. Any unilateral efforts to impose pressure or force a change in the status quo are categorically rejected by us. We oppose China’s militarised efforts in the area because its extensive maritime claims in the South China Sea lack legal support.
“We emphasize the universal and unified character of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and reaffirm UNCLOS’ important role in setting out the legal framework that governs all activities in the oceans and the seas,” the statement added.
The G7 emphasised the importance of the award made by the Arbitral Tribunal on July 12, 2016, in their statement. The Arbitral Tribunal, which was established in accordance with the Law of the Sea Convention of 1982, issued a unanimous and durable judgement decisively dismissing the PRC’s extensive maritime claims in the South China Sea as lacking any legal foundation.
The G7 members understood how crucial it was to communicate openly with and express our concerns to China. They understand the necessity of collaborating with China on international issues as well as topics of shared interest, such as gender equality, biodiversity, climate change, and international health security.
“We reiterate our call for China to act as a responsible member of the international community. We stand prepared to work together to build constructive and stable relations through dialogue and to promote global economic recovery and people-to-people exchanges in a mutually beneficial way,” the statement read.
“It is in the interest of all countries, including China, to ensure transparent, predictable, and fair business environments. Legitimate business activities and interests of foreign companies must be protected from unfair, anti-competitive, and non-market practices, including through illegitimate technology transfer or data disclosure in exchange for market access,” the statement added.
The G7 asked China to fulfill its obligations to behave responsibly in cyberspace, particularly refraining from conducting or supporting cyber-enabled intellectual property theft for financial gain, after examining several cyber-theft cases.
The G7 emphasised the significance of cross-Strait stability as a necessary component of security and prosperity in the international community when discussing the peace in Taiwan and called for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait disputes. The G7 members’ fundamental stances on Taiwan, particularly their professed one-China policy, have not changed.
Concerns over alleged abuses and violations of human rights, especially those in Tibet and Xinjiang, were also expressed by the G7 to China.
“We reiterate our concerns over the continued erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy rights and freedoms and call on China to act in accordance with its international commitments and legal obligations, including those enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law,” the G7 said in a statement.
“We call on China to act in accordance with its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,” the statement added.
(With agency inputs)
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April 18, 2023 at 04:41PM
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