The Group of Seven (G-7) foreign ministers met in Japan on April 16 to review the situation in the Indo-Pacific area, and they advocated for a "peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues" between China and Taiwan.
On Sunday, Japan hosted the third day of a three-day G-7 ministerial conference attended by foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United States, and the European Union.
According to Japan's foreign ministry, the ministers stated that G-7 unity is "extremely important" in dealing with the myriad difficulties confronting the Indo-Pacific area, especially the dangers presented by communist China and North Korea.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi emphasized the need to “continue dialogue with China” while also “directly expressing our concerns” and urging China to “act as a responsible member of the international community.”
The ministers opposed “any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force” and affirmed “the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” to the security of the international community.
“With increasing competition in the region, it is more important than ever that we promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. It is critical to the UK, to our economy, our security and our values,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement.
They harshly denounced North Korea's missile launches, with Hayashi expressing "grave concern" over the "unprecedented frequency and manner" of North Korea's launches.
The ministers met on April 17 to review Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine and to reiterate their resolve to properly coordinate and enforce sanctions against Russia, as well as to give strong support for Ukraine.
“They [ministers] concurred into reinforcing coordination to prevent and respond to evasion of sanctions as well as third-party weapon supply to Russia,” Japan’s foreign ministry stated.
