KARUIZAWA — Leading diplomats from the Group of Seven affluent democracies have vowed to take a harsh position against China's escalating threats against Taiwan and against North Korea's unrestrained long-range missile launches, while also advancing plans to strengthen support for Ukraine and punish Russia for its invasion.
Monday's agenda will be dominated by Russia's war in Ukraine as the envoys convene in this Japanese hot spring resort town for Day Two of negotiations aimed to prepare the ground for G-7 leaders' action when they meet next month in Hiroshima.
According to a Japanese summary, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told his colleagues that the conflict in Ukraine has reached a "turning point" and that the international community must "firmly reject unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force, and Russia's aggression against Ukraine and its threats of using nuclear weapons."
The G-7 ministers from Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, and the European Union view the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and efforts to deal with China as two serious threats to the post-World War II rules-based international order, making this meeting critical for the American delegation.
The Biden administration wants to strengthen support for Ukraine, including a significant initiative on Ukraine's energy infrastructure launched at the G-7 summits in Germany last year, as well as to ensure the continuation of military assistance to Kyiv, according to a senior American official traveling with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Priority will also be given to intensifying penalties against Russia for the crisis, particularly the economic and financial ones that the G-7 initially threatened in December 2021, before the invasion.
With Russia's present offensive halted and Ukraine preparing a counter-offensive, Ukraine will soon face a crucial time. Under the condition of anonymity, the U.S. official stated that there would be discussions about how to more fully assist Ukraine's long-term defense and deterrence capabilities. This year's talks will be presided over by Japan, the sole G-7 member from Asia, giving us the chance to talk about unified action against China. Diplomats in Karuizawa are anticipated to discuss their opinions of where the Chinese stand on a variety of problems, including the war in Ukraine, North Korea, and Taiwan. Leaders and foreign ministers of G-7 nations, most recently France and Germany, have recently ended visits to China. Hayashi advocated ongoing communication with China on the various global concerns where Beijing's participation is considered as important during a private working dinner on Sunday night.
The diplomats want to talk about how China has recently become more assertive in Northeast Asia, where it has challenged Taiwan. In addition to directly expressing their concerns and urging China to act as an accountable member of the international community, Hayashi urged the ministers that foreign countries must continue to forge positive and stable relationships with China. Recently, China sent ships and aircraft to mimic an encirclement of Taiwan and has been swiftly deploying new nuclear bombs. In order to address escalating threats, Japan is concerned about its efforts to obtain cruise missiles and preemptive strike capabilities. Due to a Chinese spy balloon incident over American airspace, the senior American diplomat's trip to Beijing, which was scheduled to take place in February, was postponed.
On the fringes of the Munich Security Forum, the U.S. Secretary of State, John Blinken, had a brief meeting with Wang Yi, China's top diplomat; nonetheless, high-level interactions between Washington and Beijing are now uncommon. Blinken will be asking his French and German colleagues for their perspectives on how they dealt with the Chinese. The G-7 nations are all concerned about China's moves, despite signs that the G-7 is divided on the issue. Japan and other nearby countries have serious concerns about North Korea. Around 100 missiles have been tested by Pyongyang since last year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles that could have reached the U.S. mainland and a number of other shorter-range weapons that pose a threat to South Korea and Japan. Hayashi expressed severe worry about North Korea's unprecedented frequency and style of ballistic missile launches, and the G-7 Foreign Ministers firmly denounced North Korea's recurrent ballistic missile launches.