China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong reportedly summoned Hideo Tarumi, Japan’s ambassador to China, on Sunday to deliver a “solemn” protest from Beijing in response to the “hype over China-related issues” erupting at the G-7 China Heads of State and Government Summit held The world’s leading democracies met in Hiroshima over the weekend.
In a statement quoted by the Japan Times, China’s Foreign Ministry said Sun had expressed Beijing’s “strong dissatisfaction and staunch opposition” to remarks made during the G-7 summit.
The Japanese embassy said in a statement of its own that Tarumi told Sun it was “only natural” for such references to be made and urged China to change course, according to the Japan Times.
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“If China does not want these issues to be referred to, it should first respond more positively,” Tarumi said.
The Chinese vice minister of foreign affairs also reportedly told the Japanese envoy that matters related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet are China’s “purely internal affairs” and that “no external forces are allowed to make irresponsible remarks and interfere arbitrarily.”
G7 summit photo shows Russian President Vladimir Putin facing isolation on the world stage
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President Joe Biden, third from left, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, and other G7 leaders pose for a photo before a working session on Ukraine during the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan May 21. (AP/Kyodo News)
As for Taiwan, Sun said the island lies at the “core of China’s core interests” and “a red line not to be crossed.”
According to the South China Morning Post, Sun also accused the US-led bloc of “camp confrontation and a cold war mentality” and urged Japan to “correct its understanding” of China.
The White House released a joint communiqué over the weekend in which the G7 leaders provided a comprehensive summary of their work during the Hiroshima summit.
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China, the world’s second largest economy, has been at the center of many of these concerns. In Asia, there are growing concerns that Beijing, which is steadily expanding its nuclear bomb program, could attempt to take Taiwan by force, which could spark a wider conflict. China claims the self-governing island as its own and regularly sends ships and warplanes in its vicinity.
The statement by the G-7 leaders warned that China’s “accelerated build-up of its nuclear arsenal without transparency (or) meaningful dialogue poses a problem for global and regional stability.”
China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sun Weidong is reportedly scolding the G7 summit in Japan. (FRANCIS R. MALASIG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
North Korea, which has been testing missiles at a rapid pace to perfect a nuclear program aimed at targeting the mainland United States, must abandon its nuclear bombing ambitions entirely, leaders said, “including any further nuclear tests or launches in which.” these are used”. Ballistic missile technology. North Korea can never and never will have nuclear weapon state status [international nuclear treaties]”, the statement said.
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BIDEN urges reporters at G7 summit in Japan to ‘keep quiet’
“There is no legal basis for China’s extensive maritime claims in the South China Sea and we oppose China’s militarization activities in the region,” the communiqué said.
“We will continue to express our concern about the human rights situation in China, including in Tibet and Xinjiang, where forced labor is a major problem for us. We call on China to honor its obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, which enshrine rights, freedoms and a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong,” it said.
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China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong attended a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo on February 22, 2023. Sun has since condemned Japan for hosting the G7 summit. (ISSEI KATO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
G-7 leaders also used their summit to launch a new wave of global sanctions against Moscow, as well as plans to increase the effectiveness of existing financial sanctions designed to curb President Vladimir Putin’s war effort.
“We call on China to urge Russia to stop its military aggression and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine. We encourage China to support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on territorial integrity and the principles and goals of the United Nations.” “The charter will also be achieved through direct dialogue with Ukraine,” the communiqué said.
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Asked about the convening of the Japanese ambassador at a general press briefing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said: “Japan has joined others as G7 leader this year in slandering and attacking China and engaging in a series of events grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs.” held during the Hiroshima Summit and Leaders’ Communiqué. The Chinese side regrets and rejects this and has made serious demarches to Japan. The Japanese side must correct its perception of China and adhere to the principles of the four political documents between the two countries. “We will engage in the steady development of bilateral relations in a truly constructive manner,” reads a statement on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website published message.