KARUIZAWA (AP) – The top diplomats of the G7 prosperous democracies (G7) said at the end of Tuesday’s meeting that they were committed to strengthening and enforcing hardliness against Taiwan in Ukraine. and pledged a united front against China’s threat to aggressive war with Russia. Sanctions against Moscow.
The G-7 communiqué also contained strong language about North Korea’s unprecedented series of missile tests. But it was China’s growing influence in Asia and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that marked his three-day summit, hosted by Japan at this hot spring resort.
“There should be no impunity for war crimes and atrocities such as Russian attacks on civilians and critical civilian infrastructure,” the minister said.
“We remain committed to tightening, coordinating and fully enforcing sanctions against Russia,” the communiqué said, adding that it would support Ukraine’s defense “as long as necessary.” The foreign ministers’ communiqué was created as a template for use by world leaders at the G-7 summit in Hiroshima next month, with statements on Iran, Myanmar, Afghanistan, nuclear proliferation and other “serious threats”.
He said the communique “is full of arrogance, prejudice and sinister intentions against China. We strongly oppose and deplore this and have lodged solemn complaints with the Japanese side, the host country of the meeting.”
Despite indications, notably comments from French President Emmanuel Macron, that the G-7 is split over China, U.S. officials said in Karuizawa that there is a shared worry among G-7 nations over China’s actions, and a desire to continue a coordinated approach on working with Beijing even as nations confront Chinese coercion and attempts to water down or circumvent international rules regarding trade and commerce.
Japan’s worry about China can be seen it its efforts to make a major break from its self-defense-only post-World War II principles, which include work to acquire preemptive strike capabilities and cruise missiles.
“For the first time as the G-7, we noted in a statement our commitment to a rules-based, free and open international order and our strong objection to unilateral attempts to change the status-quo anywhere in the world,” Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.
He said that Japan, as the only G-7 member in Asia, brought a focus to the Indo-Pacific region. Aside from China, the main concern is North Korea, which has launched about 100 missiles since early last year, including an ICBM that showed potential to reach the U.S. mainland, and many other short-range weapons that threaten South Korea and Japan.
The communiqué urged North Korea to refrain from further destabilizing or provocative actions, including further nuclear tests and launches using ballistic missile technology, and stated that future actions should be “quick, unified and powerful.” A strong international response is required,” he added. must be. Including other important actions for the UN Security Council to take. “
“As long as North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs persist, it is vital that sanctions are fully and diligently implemented and maintained by all states,” the minister said.
