Taipei, March 15 (IANS) Pledging to work towards upholding the free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday welcomed and appreciated the Group of 7 (G7) Foreign Ministers’ communique that reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
“Taiwan sincerely appreciates the G7 Foreign Ministers for reaffirming the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organisations. We stand ready to work with G7 and like-minded partners to uphold a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Taiwan’s Foreign Affairs minister posted on X.
Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, met in Charlevoix, Quebec, from March 12 to 14.
The Joint Statement of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Charlevoix emphasised the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
“We encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues and reiterated our opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. We also expressed support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in appropriate international organisations,” read the statement.
The Foreign Ministers of G7 reiterated their commitment to upholding a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific based on sovereignty, territorial integrity, peaceful resolution of disputes, fundamental freedoms and human rights. They also condemned China’s “militarisation and coercion” and opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, in particular by force and coercion.
Commenting on the joint statement of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the G7 Foreign Ministers’ declaration on maritime security and prosperity, the Chinese Embassy in Canada also issued a statement on Friday.
The spokesperson of the embassy stated that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory and the Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China, which brooks no external interference. “The key to upholding peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits lies in abiding by the one-China principle, and firmly opposing Taiwan independence. The Taiwan region’s participation in the activities of international organisations must and can only be handled in line with the one-China principle,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier this week, Taiwan’s President William Lai had labelled China a “foreign hostile force” and ramped up national security measures in the face of growing threats and a string of spying cases.
In recent years, Beijing has increased military exercises in the Taiwan Strait to intensify pressure on Taiwan. Beijing opposes any kind of patrolling in the Taiwan Strait and perceives it as a security threat. Meanwhile, the US and its allies consider the Taiwan Strait as an international waterway and routinely send warships through the strait, asserting their influence in the Indo-Pacific region and countering the growing influence of China.
–IANS
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