South China Sea warning looms over G7 summit
Meeting begins with call to end nuclear weapons, but Beijing says Japanese plan to raise maritime concerns threatens to overshadow proceedings
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations began a summit in Japan on Sunday by calling for an end to nuclear weapons, but Beijing warned the meeting’s “deserving concerns” could be overshadowed by a Japanese move to make the South China Sea a key item on the agenda.
The meeting is taking place in Hiroshima, a Japanese city obliterated by a US atomic bomb more than seven decades ago, but Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who presides over the two-day annual meeting this year, said the ministers would also discuss maritime security.
Beijing has voiced strong opposition to the summit’s agenda, labelling Tokyo’s move to make disputes over the sea a key talking point “a provocation” that would shift the focus of the meeting from “more deserving concerns”.
Japanese officials expect the G7 ministers to voice opposition to any unilateral action to change the status quo in the sea and to encourage Western nations to get more involved on behalf of Southeast Asian countries.
“I hope that a strong message of peace, stability and prosperity will be sent out to the world at the Hiroshima G7 foreign ministers’ meeting,” Kishida said at the start of the welcome reception.
G7 showdown looms as China pressures Japan to leave South China Sea off the agenda
Confrontations over the sea, particularly between China and the US, are causing growing concerns. Washington has stepped up criticism and surveillance of Chinese activities in the sea, while European diplomats have called for international laws and rules to be obeyed.