G7 Warns China On 'Militarisation', Commits To 'Stable, Constructive' Relations With Beijing

G7 leaders warned China over its 'militarisation activities' in the Asia-Pacific region but said the group also wanted 'constructive and stable relations' with Beijing.

G7 leaders on Saturday warned China over its "militarisation activities" in the Asia-Pacific region but said the group also wanted "constructive and stable relations" with Beijing, as reported by the news agency AFP. The group warned against China's "militarisation" in the South China Sea and said that "peace and stability" in the Taiwan Strait are "indispensable" to global security.

In a final communique issued at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, the nations raised concerns about China's economic and military activities. But they also sought to keep the door open to cooperation and avoid further inflaming tensions between the world's second-largest economy and the grouping of major Western powers plus Japan.

"We stand prepared to build constructive and stable relations with China, recognising the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China," the group said, as quoted by AFP. "Our policy approaches are not designed to harm China nor do we seek to thwart China's economic progress and development," the statement continued, adding that the G7 countries are not "decoupling or turning inwards".

Still, the language clarified the group’s wide-ranging concerns about Beijing's willingness to deploy trade measures in diplomatic disputes and G7's determination to untangle sensitive supply chains from Chinese influence. "Economic resilience requires de-risking and diversifying," the communique said, pledging to "reduce excessive dependencies in our critical supply chains," as quoted by AFP. And it urged China to use its influence with Russia "to stop its military aggression, and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine".

During the summit, the leaders reiterated their support for Ukraine as the Russian invasion of the country continues after over a year. The leaders in a statement have called Russia's action an "illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression".

The leaders of the member nations issued a joint statement. They stated that 15 months of Russia’s aggression has cost thousands of lives. The G7 members said that it is taking “new steps to ensure that Russia's illegal aggression against Ukraine fails and support the Ukrainian people in their quest for a just peace rooted in respect for international law”.