G7 urges China to pressure Russia to end war in Ukraine, respect Taiwan’s status and fair trade rules

HIROSHIMA, Japan — HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — The Group of Seven wealthy democracies united Saturday in calling on China to pressure its strategic partner Russia to end its war on Ukraine.

In their joint statement issued on Saturday, the leaders of the G7 stressed that they do not want to harm China and strive for “constructive and stable relations” with Beijing, “recognizing the importance of an honest relationship with China and expressing our concerns directly to China.”

“We call on China to pressure Russia to stop its military aggression and withdraw its troops from Ukraine immediately, completely and unconditionally,” he said. “We encourage China to support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on territorial integrity and the principles and goals of the UN Charter,” including direct negotiations with Ukraine.

Cooperation with China is needed given its global role and economic size, the group said, in addressing challenges such as climate change, biodiversity, debt and financing needs of vulnerable countries, global health issues and economic stability.

But the leaders expressed “serious concern” over the situation in the East and South China Seas, where Beijing is expanding its military presence and threatening to use force to assert control over independent Taiwan. They called for a “peaceful resolution” to China’s claim to Taiwan, which has remained unresolved since the Communists took power in mainland China in 1949.

According to the statement, “China’s extensive maritime claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis, and we oppose China’s militarization activities in the region.”

“A growing China playing by international rules would be in the global interest,” it said, referring to accusations that Beijing is undermining the “rules-based international order.”

The G7 unanimously expressed concern about human rights in China, including Tibet, Hong Kong and the far-western region of Xinjiang, where the issue of forced labor is a perennial problem.

But the statement also sought to counter accusations that the G7 is trying to prevent China from becoming a global power.

“Our policy approaches are not designed to harm China, and we do not want to frustrate China’s economic growth and development,” it said. The statement highlighted a consensus that efforts to diversify manufacturing supply chains and ensure stable access to strategically vital minerals and other resources are not aimed at severing trade ties with the world’s second-largest economy.

“We will not split up or turn inward,” the statement said. “At the same time, we recognize that economic resilience requires risk reduction and diversification. We are taking steps individually and collectively to invest in our own economic lives. will reduce over-reliance in our critical supply chains.”

At the same time, the G7 members pledged to take a stand against various “economic coercion”, saying they would “act against malicious practices such as illegitimate technology transfer or data sharing” while avoiding “undue restrictions on trade and investment”. . “

Chinese officials have accused the U.S. and other members of hypocrisy in response to various G7 statements about economic coercion and other issues.

The state-owned Xinhua news agency in a scathing editorial on Friday called such accusations “witch hunts”, harassment and “superpower repression”.

“When it comes to ‘coercion,’ the first water force is the United States,” the statement said. “America’s G7 allies must be very angry, given how Washington has used or bled them out over the years.”

The G7 includes Japan, this year’s host of the leader’s annual summit, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Italy, and the European Union.

The statement was released on the second day of a three-day summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi arrived in Hiroshima on Saturday to take part in the meetings scheduled for Sunday.