Global Courant 2023-04-16 14:30:48
KARUIZAWA, Japan — Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G-7) group of rich countries are likely to discuss their “common and coordinated” approach to China when they meet starting Sunday, due to shared concerns about the actions of Beijing, a senior US State Department official said.
China takes center stage as G-7 ministers meet for three days in the Japanese resort of Karuizawa.
Japan, the group’s only Asian member, is increasingly concerned about China’s growing power in Asia-Pacific and is particularly concerned about any military action against Taiwan.
Beijing regards Taiwan as Chinese territory and has not refrained from using force to take the democratically governed island.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has said that only the people of the island can decide their future.
Recent remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron have pointed to potential disagreements between Europe and the United States over China.
In interviews following his visit to China in April, Macron warned against getting sucked into a crisis over Taiwan, driven by an “American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction”.
That caused a backlash.
European foreign policy officials on Friday urged China not to use force against Taiwan, taking a tough stance.
“There is collective concern about some of the actions China is taking,” the US official told reporters on the plane to Japan from Vietnam, refusing to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information.
In Vietnam, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Both sides expressed a desire to deepen their ties as Washington seeks to build alliances to counter China.
There would likely be a discussion about how members can continue to take a “common and coordinated approach” to China, the official said.
Recent G-7 statements include calls for frank and constructive cooperation with Beijing, acknowledging that “all G-7 members individually have deep economic ties” to the world’s second-largest economy.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock tried to underline the unity among G-7 members.
“As democracies, we succeed in systematically competing with autocratic forces when our partners and friends around the world have faith in us. We must avoid our unity being misunderstood by others as separation or creating new rifts,” she said in a statement ahead of her trip to Japan.
Taiwan would also be a topic of discussion, the senior US official said, but declined to comment on a specific new language.
