Foreign ministers of the G7 nations have condemned China’s actions that have posed risks to regional stability, while expressing concern over efforts to restrict freedom of navigation and overflight through “force” and “coercion” in the South China Sea.
This was conveyed on Friday in the Declaration on Maritime Security and Prosperity by G7 foreign ministers following their meeting in La Malbaie, Canada this week.
“We condemn China’s illicit, provocative, coercive and dangerous actions that seek unilaterally to alter the status quo in such a way as to risk undermining the stability of regions, including through land reclamations, and building of outposts, as well as their use for military purpose,” the declaration read.
It added, “We oppose unilateral attempts to change the status quo, in particular by force or coercion including in the East and South China Seas.”
The ministers highlighted the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight, which have been areas of concern for the Philippines amid its territorial dispute with China.
Aside from past incidents of water cannon attacks in the West Philippine Sea, tensions between the two countries have also reached the skies. One such incident happened last February, when a Chinese helicopter flew as close as three meters above and on the side of an aircraft of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) over Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal.
“We condemn, as well, dangerous vessel maneuvers, the indiscriminate attacks against commercial vessels and other maritime actions that undermine maritime order based on the rule of law and international law,” the ministers said.
They reiterated that the 2016 Arbitral Ruling that upheld the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone over China’s historical claims was “legally binding” to concerned parties and was a “useful basis for peacefully resolving their disputes.”
According to a Reuters report, the Chinese Embassy in Canada responded by saying that the Asia-Pacific region is “not a chessboard for geopolitical rivalries.”
The embassy also urged the G7 to “abandon the Cold War mentality and stop creating bloc confrontation and fueling tensions in the region.”
The report also said that the G7 foreign ministers took a tough stance on China, stepping up language on Taiwan and omitting some conciliatory references from past statements, including to “one China” policies.
The members also expressed concern about China’s non-market policies and practices, saying these were leading to harmful over-capacity and market distortions. They called on Beijing to refrain from adopting export control measures that could lead to significant supply chain disruptions.
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.
Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country’s claim.
The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China’s claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had “no legal basis.”
China has refused to recognize the decision. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
