Tough G7 statement drops one China reference from Taiwan language

LA MALBAIE, Canada – Group of 7 (G-7) foreign ministers took a tough stance on China on March 14, stepping up language on Taiwan and omitting some conciliatory references from past statements, including to “one China” policies.

A statement by ministers meeting in Canada mirrored a February Japan-US statement in condemning “coercion” towards Taiwan, language that heartened Taipei in its increasingly tense stand-offs with Beijing.

Compared with a G-7 foreign ministers’ statement in November, the statement added members’ concerns over China’s nuclear build-up, although it omitted references to their concerns about Beijing’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.

Also missing were references stressing the desire for “constructive and stable relations with China” and recognising the “importance of direct and candid engagement to express concerns and manage differences”.

The statement dropped past reassurances, recently stated in November, that there is “no change in the basic position of the G-7 members on Taiwan, including stated one-China policies”, as well as that the G-7 is “not decoupling or turning inwards” and recognising the importance of China in global trade.

The so-called one-China policy, which recognises Beijing as the official government of China and ensures that ties with Taipei remain unofficial, has been the bedrock of Western dealings with China and Taiwan for decades.

The omission is sure to be a significant concern for Beijing.

Referring again to Taiwan, a self-governed island that China claims as its own, the statement said the ministers “encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues and reiterated their opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion”.

The G-7 statements “ignore facts and China’s solemn position, grossly interfere in China’s internal affairs and blatantly smear China”, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Canada said in a statement.

China “resolutely opposes