The G7 wealthy democracies urged China on Saturday to put pressure on its strategic partner Russia to end its war in Ukraine. The G7 leaders stressed their desire for “constructive and stable relations” with Beijing in a joint statement issued Saturday, “recognizing the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China.”
“We call on China to put pressure on Russia to stop its military aggression and withdraw its troops from Ukraine immediately, completely, and unconditionally,” it said.
“We encourage China to support a comprehensive, just, and long-term peace based on territorial integrity and the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter,” including through direct talks with Ukraine.
Cooperation with China is required because of its global role and economic size, according to the group, which is appealing for collaboration on issues such as climate change, biodiversity, debts and financing needs of vulnerable countries, global health concerns, and economic stability.
The leaders, however, expressed “serious concern” about the situation in the East and South China seas, where Beijing has been increasing its military presence and threatening to use force to exert control over self-governed Taiwan.
They demanded a “peaceful resolution” to China’s claim to Taiwan, which has remained unresolved since communists took power on the Chinese mainland in 1949.
According to the statement, “China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis, and we oppose China’s militarization activities in the region.”
“A growing China that plays by international rules would be of global interest,” the statement said, referring to allegations that Beijing is undermining the “rules-based international order.”
The G7 also expressed concern about human rights in China, including in Tibet, Hong Kong, and the far western region of Xinjiang, where forced labour is a persistent issue.
However, the statement also sought to refute claims that the G7 is attempting to prevent China’s rise as a global power.
“Our policy approaches are not intended to harm China, nor do we seek to impede China’s economic progress and development,” the statement said.
The statement emphasized a shared understanding that efforts to diversify manufacturing supply chains and ensure consistent access to strategically important minerals and other resources are not intended to sever trade ties with the world’s second-largest economy.
“We are not decoupling or turning inwards,” according to the statement. “At the same time, we acknowledge that economic resilience necessitates de-risking and diversification.” We will take individual and collective steps to invest in our economic vitality. We will reduce unnecessary reliance on our critical supply chains.”
The G7 members pledged to oppose various forms of “economic coercion,” stating that they “will counter malign practices, such as unauthorized technology transfer or data disclosure,” while also avoiding “unduly limiting trade and investment.”
Chinese officials have accused the United States and other G7 members of hypocrisy in response to various G7 statements on economic coercion and other issues.
The state-run Xinhua News Agency published a scathing editorial on Friday, calling the allegations a “witch hunt,” bullying, and “superpower suppression.”
“When it comes to coercion,’ the coercer of the first water is the United States,” it stated. “America’s G7 allies must have a lot to be angry about, given how Washington has exploited, or bled, them over the years.”
The G7 is made up of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, and Italy, as well as the European Union.
The statement was issued on the second day of a three-day summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Hiroshima on Saturday to attend meetings scheduled for Sunday.
