“We call on China to put pressure on Russia to stop its military aggression and immediately withdraw its troops from Ukraine, completely and unconditionally,” they said in a statement quoted by the French news agency AFP.
Beijing remains a close ally of Moscow and has never condemned a Russian invasion, but sent a diplomat to Europe this week to try to broker a solution to the conflict.
“We encourage China to support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on territorial integrity, including through direct dialogue with Ukraine,” said the leaders of the world’s seven most developed democracies.
The leaders of Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union (EU), also reaffirmed the “importance of honest dialogue” with Chinese authorities.
“We are ready to maintain a constructive and stable relationship with China,” they said.
The declaration resulted from negotiations between countries such as the United States, which took a tougher position on China, and others on the European side, which insisted on avoiding a climate of confrontation with the Asian giant.
“It is very important to cooperate with China, given its role in the international community and the size of its economy, in global challenges, as well as in areas of common interest,” said the G7.
“We call on China to enter into dialogue with us, including in international forums, on issues such as the climate crisis and biodiversity,” said the leaders of the G7, which met in Hiroshima until Sunday.
Despite calling for dialogue, major Western powers and Japan have warned Beijing against the militarization of the Asia-Pacific region, saying there is “no legal basis” for China’s claims in the South China Sea.
With respect to Taiwan, they repeated their call for a “peaceful resolution” of China’s dispute with the island.
China and Taiwan have lived autonomously since 1949, but Beijing has threatened to invade the island, which it regards as part of its territory, if Taipei formally declares independence.
PNG/JMR
By Impala News / The day after tomorrow
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