(VOVworld) – The summit of the Group of 7 leading industrial countries (G7), which took place in Bavaria, Germany on June 7-8, issued a joint-statement covering several regional and international issues. Maritime security was a central concern of the G7 leaders given China’s unilateral activities to change the status quo in the East Sea and East China Sea.
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| (From left to right) The leaders of Japan, Canada, US, Germany, France, Britain and Italy pose for a photo at the start of a G7 summit in Bavaria, southern Germany, June 7, 2015. (AFP) |
Maritime security issues were added to the G7 summit agenda this year. Besides several other issues of global concern, maintaining maritime security in the East Sea and the East China Sea was a highlight of the summit of world’s leading industrial nations.
Common stance on maritime security
Besides several pressing issues such as how to stabilize the situation in eastern Ukraine, deal with the Islamic State, and stamp out epidemics, the G7 leaders also expressed their views on the need to maintain peace, stability, security, and maritime safety in the East Sea and East China Sea. In a joint statement concluding the summit, the G7 leaders underscored the importance of ensuring maritime order and security in line with international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The G7 leaders insisted on peaceful measures to resolve conflicts and rejected the use of force to change the status quo in the oceans including the expansion of artificial islands in the East Sea recently.
The G7 said Beijing has to clarify its territorial claims based on international law, not threatening or using force or coercion.
At last year’s summit in Brussels, Belgium, the G7 leaders declared to oppose any unilateral claim of sovereignty through provocation, threatening, and use of force.
Maritime security remains G7’s concern
Sovereignty disputes in the East Sea and East China Sea and maritime security have drawn special interest of the G7. China and Japan, a G7 member, have disputed over Senkaku/ Diaoyu island. China has regularly deployed ships to the sea area near Senkaku/ Diaoyu island which is under Japan’s control. Possible clashes there would disrupt one of the most important sea routes in the East Sea, a large part of which has been claimed by China. China has always opposed the internationalization of sovereignty disputes including territorial disputes in the East Sea. The G7’s stance has put strong pressure on China, which has great economic relations with the group.
American companies have invested over 70 billion USD in China. Beijing has imported commodities and services worth 124 billion USD from the US while the US has imported goods worth 466 billion USD from China.
Japan and the US are two G7 countries having the strongest influence on maritime security. The CNN has recently published images of China’s illegal building of islands in the East Sea. The US has repeatedly said that China is an obstruction to freedom of navigation and international law enforcement in the East Sea and East China Sea.
The international community has predicted that the US would send aircraft to the 12-nautical miles of China’s artificial islands to illustrate its rejection over China’s sovereignty claim in the East Sea.
At international forums, Japan has warned China of its unilateral activities to change the status quo in the sea. The Japanese Coast Guard is scheduled to conduct a joint military drill with the Philippines in the East Sea on June 23-24.
Following the Shangri-La Dialouge, the G7 leaders have once again stressed the need to strengthen maritime security and safety in the East Sea and East China Sea.