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Pool Photo via AP G7 foreign ministers are seen at the start of a working session of a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting at a hotel in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on Monday.
Jiji Press
17:51 JST, April 17, 2023
KARUIZAWA, Nagano (Jiji Press) — Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries confirmed cooperation to deal with China at a meeting in the town of Karuizawa that began Sunday.
At a working dinner session, the G7 officials affirmed their opposition to any attempt by Beijing to change the status quo by force or coercion as well as the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
It is also important to build constructive and stable relations with China to tackle global issues, said Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who chairs the three-day meeting. The remark drew support from other participants.
The ministers from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States plus the European Union condemned North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches.
The officials agreed on the importance of unity of the G-7 members to deal with China and North Korea.
Also with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in mind, Hayashi said, “We want to stress the importance of international order based on the rule of law and express our will to reject any attempt to change the status quo by force.”
He showed an eagerness to enhance G7 involvement with Global South nations.
On Sunday afternoon, Hayashi entered the resort town in Nagano Prefecture together with his G7 counterparts aboard a special train.
Their meeting precedes the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May. Key topics in the ministerial talks include the Ukrainian crisis, the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and cooperation with Southeast Asian and Pacific island countries.
The foreign ministers are also expected to discuss how to pursue the goal of realizing a world without nuclear weapons amid Russia’s nuclear intimidation and North Korea’s nuclear and missile development.
Hayashi is slated to meet the press as chair of the meeting Tuesday to explain the results of the conference. A joint statement will also be released.
On Sunday, Hayashi met with his Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani, to confirm close cooperation for the success of the G7 summit. The session was the first in a series of talks Hayashi plans to have with his G7 partners.
