G7 Expresses Grave Concern Over China Nuke Surge

(MENAFN) Seven major democracies and the European Union have escalated warnings about Beijing's expanding military footprint and accelerating atomic weapons development, signaling deepening geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.

At a two-day gathering that concluded Wednesday in this Canadian border town, senior diplomatic officials from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain, the US, and the EU coalesced around a unified position demanding greater candor from China on its strategic intentions. The alliance called on Beijing to "demonstrate its commitment to stability through improved transparency," according to remarks issued following the closed-door negotiations.

Bolstering their message on regional security architecture, the assembled ministers reaffirmed the bloc's commitment to preserving maritime freedoms and democratic governance across the contested waters of Asia. "We reaffirmed the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law," the collective statement emphasized.

The G7 coalition drew a firm line on territorial disputes, explicitly rejecting what it characterized as power-driven territorial adjustments. The ministers expressed "strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in particular by force or coercion, including in the East China Sea and the South China Sea."

Taiwan, the self-governing island at the center of potential superpower confrontation, occupied significant diplomatic bandwidth throughout the proceedings. Officials stressed "the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait" while opposing "any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, particularly by force or coercion," channeling appeals toward "peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues through constructive dialogue." The coalition additionally endorsed "Taiwan's meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations."

Pyongyang drew equally pointed criticism from the alliance, which "strongly condemned" North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs while reiterating backing for its "complete denuclearization." Beyond weapons concerns, the ministers flagged mounting alarm over digital-age threats, expressing "grave concern" over Pyongyang's cryptocurrency thefts and pushing for urgent action addressing historical abductions by the regime.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi amplified concerns about Beijing's weaponization of supply chains, voicing "serious concern" over China's export control measures on rare earths. Motegi emphasized the vitality of "a Free and Open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law" and reiterated "Japan's stance of standing with Ukraine," per ministry documentation.

Motegi further pressed the alliance to fortify its procurement strategies for essential materials, contending that stable deliveries of critical minerals like rare earths hinged on collaborative ties among G7 participants and fellow "like-minded countries," while advocating heightened coordination on both consumption and production fronts.

The diplomatic summit brought together foreign policy leaders from the Group of Seven industrialized nations alongside the EU foreign policy chief for comprehensive consultations spanning Tuesday and Wednesday.

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