US says G7 will resist Chinese ‘coercion’ as Taiwan tensions heighten, per reports
A US official has said the G7 nations will resist any “coercion” from China during a key summit in Japan, as tensions heighten over Taiwan, according to reports.
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven countries – the UK, the US, Germany, France, Japan, Canada and Italy – are meeting in the central Japanese city of Karuizawa, in Nagano.
It comes amid rising tensions between China and the islands of Taiwan, which Beijing claims ownership over, following the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Military manoeuvres in the vicinity, including live fire drills and a simulated encirclement, have raised fears of a confrontation, with warnings of a “horror scenario”.
The US has sailed a warship past the territory to demonstrate its commitment to supporting Taiwan’s independence.
In lockstep
French president Emmanuel Macron recently sparked a backlash via remarks during a state visit with leader Xi Jinping about the need for Europe to avoid following American policies.
But a US official reportedly told journalists that the G7, including France, is in agreement on its approach to China and Taiwan.
“The message is the same across the G7: that we want to work with China in those areas where China is prepared to work with us,” they said, per European news agency Reuters.
“We are certainly going to stand up against any coercion, any market manipulation, any efforts to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.”
Speaking after a bilateral meeting with US counterpart Anthony Blinken, Japan’s foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi highlighted the “impact the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait has on our country” and said it was “crucial” to wider global safety and security.
‘Free and open’
Attendees are reportedly expected to agree the wording of a strong final statement today, warning against attempts to ramp up militarisation in the South China Sea.
UK foreign minister James Cleverly promised to promote a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region ahead of his trip to Karuizawa, after an integrated defence review stressed the need for a post-Brexit ‘tilt’ towards the region to balance China’s superpower status.
The UK recently announced it would be joining the Asia-Pacific trade bloc, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), after almost two years of negotiations.
According to the Daily Express newspaper, who are accompanying Cleverly in Japan, trade figures show Japanese consumers are boosting sales of UK food and drink exports.