The G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union have issued their collective statements on specific global issues, following their recent meeting in Capri, Italy.
The G7 Foreign Ministers under the chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani have drawn up at least three final documents at the end of the sessions: (1) Situation in the Middle East; (2) Steadfast Support to Ukraine; (3) Addressing Global Challenges, Fostering Partnerships.
Below are the excerpts of the statement on the South China Sea situation involving China and the Philippines:
“We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. We continue to oppose China’s dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia in the South China Sea and its repeated obstruction of countries’ high seas freedom of navigation and we express serious concern about the increasing use of dangerous maneuvers and water cannons against Philippines vessels in this regard. There is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and we oppose China’s militarization, coercive and intimidation activities in the South China Sea. We re-emphasize the universal and unified character of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and reaffirm UNCLOS’s important role in setting out the legal framework that governs all activities in the oceans and the seas. We reiterate that the award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal on July 12, 2016, is a significant milestone, which is legally binding upon the parties to those proceedings and a useful basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties.”
(photo credit: G7 Italia 2024 via www.g7italy.it)
