G7 statement angers China
BEIJING – China expressed anger yesterday after foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies said they strongly opposed provocation in the East and South China Seas, where China is locked in territorial disputes.
“We urge the G7 memberstates to honor their commitment of not taking sides on issues involving territorial disputes,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The G7 should focus on global economic governance and cooperation against the backdrop of weak economic growth rather than hyping up disputes and provoking problems, it added.
On Monday, G7 foreign
ministers said after meeting in the Japanese city of Hiroshima that they opposed “any intimidating coercive or provocative unilateral actions that could alter the status quo and increase tensions” in the contested seas.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas, and is building islands on reefs to bolster its claims. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the waters, through which about $5 trillion in trade is shipped every year.
Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia Jr. warned yesterday that any Chinese move to turn a disputed shoal into an island would escalate the disputes as he asked Washington to convince Beijing not to take that “very provocative” step.
Cuisia was informed that the US Navy spotted a suspected Chinese survey ship near Panatag ( Scarborough) Shoal a few weeks ago.
Earlier, China completed the construction works to turn seven reefs in the Spratlys into an island that is now equipped with an airport and military facilities. Beijing said it owns the Spratlys, which it calls the Nansha Islands, and has a right to do construction works there.
It also has a separate dispute with Japan over a group of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea.
The Chinese foreign ministry also said there are no problems with freedom of navigation and overflights as China is committed to resolving disputes through talks with countries directly involved via international law and on the basis of respecting historical facts, to maintain peace and stability while safeguarding its sovereignty, it said.
It repeated that China will neither accept nor participate in any arbitration “illegally forced upon it,” a reference to a case lodged by the Philippines against China.
“We urge the G7 member states to fully respect the efforts made by countries in the region, stop making irresponsible remarks and all irresponsible actions, and truly play a constructive role for regional peace and stability,” the ministry added.
Cuisia said the US Navy sighting of the survey ship in Panatag Shoal, a rich fishing area about 230 kilometers west of the Philippines, has reinforced suspicions that Beijing is eyeing the vast atoll as its next target in its island-making spree.