The leaders of the Group of Seven in Hiroshima, Saturday, opposed China’s “militarization” of the Asia-Pacific region, while sending a warning message to Beijing and Pyongyang about building up their nuclear arsenals, but also affirmed their will to build “constructive and stable relations” with Beijing.
In a statement released during the leaders’ meeting in Hiroshima, the officials called on Beijing to “pressure Russia to cease its military aggression and to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its forces from Ukraine.”
They also warned that “accelerating the building of its nuclear arsenal without transparency or meaningful dialogue is a source of concern for global and regional stability.”
“We seek to cooperate with China on matters of mutual interest,” Sullivan said. “And we will work to address the important concerns that we have with China in a range of areas.”
The previous leaders’ statement said North Korea – which has been testing missiles at a rapid pace in an effort to advance a nuclear program aimed at targeting the US mainland – must completely abandon its ambitions to obtain a nuclear bomb, including any further nuclear tests or launches using Ballistic missile technology.
Warn of economic coercion
And the leaders of the Group of Seven warned on Saturday that any attempts to “weaponize” trade and supply chains “will fail and will face consequences,” in a veiled warning to China about its economic practices.
“Attempts to weaponize economic dependencies by forcing G7 members and our partners, including small economies, to respond and comply will fail and face consequences,” the group said in a statement, which did not mention China directly.
Earlier, the US national security adviser said the G7 would agree on a “common set of tools” to combat economic “coercion” and reduce the risk of high-tech exports to China undermining national security.
China warns
China’s embassy in Britain warned the G7 countries on Saturday that any words or actions that harm Beijing’s interests will be met with “strong and firm countermeasures”.
The statement, published on the ministry’s website, comes as the G7 leaders agreed at a summit in Japan to launch a new initiative to counter economic coercion.
Zelensky: Seven summit meetings bring peace “closer”
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “peace will be closer” as a result of the G7 summit meetings, after a diplomatic source confirmed his arrival in the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Zelensky wrote on social media: “Japan. The G7. Important meetings with Ukraine’s partners and friends. Intensified security and cooperation so that we can win. Today peace will be closer.”
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2023-05-20 07:34:26
