Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine and stressed the need to engage with China on global challenges as they concluded their meetings in Japan on Tuesday. While emphasizing the importance of cooperation with China on issues such as climate change and global health security, the ministers expressed concerns in a joint communiqué about China’s actions in the East and South China Seas and its stance toward Taiwan. “We reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element in security and prosperity in the international community, and call for the peaceful resolution of cross‑Strait issues,” the ministers said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his counterparts from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan that there was “remarkable convergence” regarding concerns about China and how to address them. Chinese foreign‑ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin responded that the G‑7 communiqué grossly interfered with China’s internal affairs and maliciously slandered the country. Blinken added that, despite stalled U.S.–China talks, the United States believes maintaining lines of communication and engaging across the broad range of issues that animate the relationship is essential. “My expectation would be that we will be able to move forward on that, but it does require China to make clear its own intentions,” he said.
The G‑7 ministers pledged to intensify sanctions against Russia and to coordinate efforts to prevent evasion of those measures. They warned Russia against the use of nuclear or chemical weapons and condemned its occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. “Russia must withdraw all forces and equipment from Ukraine immediately and unconditionally,” the communiqué stated. The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as needed, providing sustained security, economic, and institutional assistance to help Ukraine defend itself, secure a free and democratic future, and deter further Russian aggression. Blinken said G‑7 members will “remind the world who is the aggressor and who is the victim” in the conflict that began with Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine last year, and noted that Russia is breaking promises by blocking Ukraine’s grain exports to regions that desperately need them.
Regarding Iran, the G‑7 ministers voiced concern over what they described as Iran’s “continued destabilizing activities” and called on Tehran to stop supplying drones to Russian forces that are being used in attacks on Ukraine. They also expressed deep worry about Iran’s “unabated escalation of its nuclear program,” which they said lacks a credible civilian justification and brings the country dangerously close to weapon‑related activities. The ministers urged Iran to fulfill its nuclear non‑proliferation commitments.
The communiqué also addressed Afghanistan, condemning the Taliban’s systematic human‑rights abuses against women and girls and discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.
Comments are closed for this story.