G7 leaders meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, called on China to put pressure on Russia to end the war against Ukraine, saying they wanted “constructive and stable” relations with Beijing.
“We call on China to put pressure on Russia to cease its military aggression and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine.”they said in a statement quoted by the French news agency AFP.
Beijing remains a close ally of Moscow and has never condemned the Russian invasion, but this week sent a diplomat to Europe to try to find a solution to the conflict.
“We encourage China to support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on territorial integrity, including through direct dialogue with Ukraine”said the leaders of the world’s seven most industrialized democracies.
The leaders of Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union (EU), also affirmed the “importance of frank dialogue” with Chinese authorities.
“We are ready to maintain constructive and stable relations with China,” they said.
The statement is the result of negotiations between countries such as the United States, which are adopting a tougher stance on China, and other countries on the European side, which insist on avoiding any confrontation with the Asian giant.
“It is imperative to work with China given its role in the international community and the size of its economy, both on global challenges and on areas of common interest,” the G7 said.
“We call on China to engage with us in dialogue, including in international fora, on issues such as the climate and biodiversity crisis,” said the G7 leaders, who met in Hiroshima until Sunday.
Despite calls for dialogue, Western powers and Japan have warned Beijing against militarization in the Asia-Pacific region, saying there is “no legal basis” for China’s claims in the South China Sea.
With regard to Taiwan, they reiterated their call for a “peaceful resolution” of China’s disputes with the island.
China and Taiwan have lived autonomously since 1949, but Beijing threatens to invade the island, which it considers part of its territory, if Taipei formally declares independence.
The G7 wants to reduce “exaggerated confidence” in China
The group of seven most developed economies has meanwhile announced that it wants to reduce “over-dependence” on China in critical sectors, but without jeopardizing Chinese economic development.
The G7 leaders state that a resilient economy “requires the elimination of risk and requires diversification” and affirm the need to take steps in this direction, individually in each of the national economies and also as a group.
The G7 statement emphasizes that the defended orientation “has no intention of harming Beijing” or hindering China’s progress and economic development, with the group defending that “a growing China, abiding by international rules, in the world importance”.
The final document of the economic bloc bringing together Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, plus the European Union (EU), was released a day ahead of schedule and points to “China’s policies and trade practices contrary to the market economy”
“To enable sustainable economic relations with China and strengthen the international trading system, we will push for a level playing field between our workers and companies,” the G7 says in the document, which also expresses its commitment to addressing the “challenges” posed by China’s trade practices “disrupting the global economy”.
“We will combat malicious practices such as the unlawful transfer of technology or the disclosure of confidential data,” the economic bloc says in the text.
The more industrialized countries also confirm the consensus reached on the “need to protect advanced technologies that can be used to threaten the national security (of the countries of the group) without unduly restricting trade and investment”.
The G7 leaders’ final statement was released shortly after the publication of another document on “economic coercion”, in which they condemned, without naming any country, the use of export capabilities as a “weapon” and their exploitation as a political tool.
Source: DN
