In addition to Germany and Japan, the G7 group also includes France, Italy, Canada, the USA and Great Britain. Japan currently holds the G7 presidency.
(Photo: AP)
Karuizawa The G7 group of economically strong democracies has warned against any attempt to violently change the international order in view of the Russian aggression in Ukraine and China’s increasing thirst for power.
“We will reject any unilateral attempts to change the status quo through violence,” Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Monday at the start of G7 foreign ministers’ deliberations on the situation in the Indo-Pacific. In the region, China is also trying to expand its position of power militarily.
Hayashi said at the meeting in central Japan’s Karuizawa that it would “demonstrate to the world the firm determination of the G7 to uphold the international order based on the rule of law”.
In addition, they want to continue to support Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia, as the Japanese Foreign Ministry announced on Monday. At the same time, the ministers reiterated their call for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine “immediately and unconditionally”. The sanctions imposed on Moscow will continue. Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi stressed that the G7 group and like-minded countries must demonstrate unity.
In addition, the ministers agreed to work together to prevent sanctions against Russia being undermined and the aggressor receiving weapons from third countries, it was said.
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For Germany, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) will take part in the talks in the holiday resort, which will last until Tuesday, 175 kilometers from the capital Tokyo. In addition to Germany and Japan, the G7 group also includes France, Italy, Canada, the USA and Great Britain. Japan currently holds the G7 presidency.
At the start of the meeting on Sunday evening, Hayashi said that in order to deal with global challenges it is important to build “constructive and stable” relations with China. According to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the G7 ministers emphasized that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is an “indispensable element for the security and prosperity of the international community”. China views Taiwan as a breakaway territory to be reunited with the mainland, if necessary using military force.
Annalena Baerbock with her US counterpart Antony Blinken.
(Photo: AP)
Baerbock urges her US and Chinese colleagues Antony Blinken and Qin Gang to meet quickly. “In my view, it would be important for this meeting to take place in a timely manner,” she said on Sunday evening in a switchover on the ZDF program “Berlin direct”. For Baerbock, the G7 meeting marks the end of a six-day trip to Asia that she began on Thursday. First she had visited China and then South Korea.
When asked about possible support for Taiwan by the G7 in the event of an escalation of the conflict with China, Baerbock said on ZDF: “Our aim is to de-escalate. And that’s why speculating about “What if…” is wrong now. But you also have to make it clear that we would not accept a military escalation.” The G7 also discussed the importance of US-Chinese dialogue formats, she added.
Blinken canceled a visit to China at short notice in early February after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was discovered in US airspace. The incident put additional strain on the relationship.
Here is an overview of the most important G7 issues:
- Ukraine/Russia: G7 foreign ministers will reiterate their call on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his war in Ukraine immediately and to withdraw all soldiers unconditionally. In the final declaration, there should also be criticism of Moscow’s threatening gestures with its nuclear arsenal. Since the invasion began in February 2022, the G7 have increased pressure on Russia through economic sanctions.
- China: China’s increasingly aggressive drive for power is at the background of many talks in Japan – even when Beijing is not officially addressed. The military behavior of the giant empire in the East and South China Seas represents “the greatest strategic challenge” of all time, according to a Japanese security paper.
- Indo-Pacific and the Taiwan question: Not only host Japan fears that China could one day reach for democratic Taiwan in a similar way to Russia after Ukraine. Japan is struggling to form a kind of united front against authoritarian states trying to use force to change the global status quo.
- Iran: The foreign ministers also wanted to discuss the situation in Iran. It’s about the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic, which has been on hold for years. The violent actions of the leadership in Tehran against demonstrators should also play a role.
- Afghanistan: Since the Taliban took power again in 2021, militant Islamists have massively restricted women’s rights. Among other things, they excluded girls from schooling and only tolerated men at the country’s universities. Millions of Afghans depend on humanitarian aid for their survival.
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