G7 Foreign Ministers warn China’s activities East of Taiwan threaten regional stability, freedom of navigation

According to the report, China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has intensified its activities off Taiwan's east coast since June, conducting regular patrols by its coast guard.

Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) have expressed concern over China's increasingly assertive activities in the waters east of Taiwan, warning that the actions threaten regional stability, freedom of navigation and the safety of international shipping, according to a report by Taipei Times. The warning was issued in a joint declaration published late Wednesday following a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Paris.

According to the report, China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has intensified its activities off Taiwan's east coast since June, conducting regular patrols by its coast guard. Taiwanese officials believe Beijing is practising for a potential maritime blockade by deploying overlapping military, paramilitary and civilian assets in the surrounding waters.

The G7 statement marked a unified expression of concern over China's activities east of Taiwan. France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States had previously voiced concerns about Beijing's actions in the area. "China's increasingly assertive activities in the waters east of Taiwan threaten regional stability, freedom of navigation and the safety of international shipping," the joint declaration stated.

The ministers also reaffirmed their opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo, particularly through force, coercion or the threat thereof. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Taipei Times reported.

In Taipei, Taiwan's Presidential Office welcomed the G7 declaration, describing peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the wider Indo-Pacific region as essential to global security and prosperity. Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo said Taiwan would continue strengthening its self-defence capabilities and cooperating closely with like-minded international partners, including G7 member states.

The report further noted that following the China Coast Guard's latest patrol off Taiwan's east coast last month, Taipei accused Beijing of harassing shipping and attempting to assert what it described as fictional jurisdiction over the area. Taiwan considers its eastern waters strategically important for maintaining wartime supply routes from allied countries in the event of a blockade or military conflict. Meanwhile, China's military continues to operate around Taiwan on a daily basis.

Separately, Taiwan's Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo said on Tuesday that China was conducting area-denial drills in the Western Pacific involving an aircraft carrier and other naval formations, following a reported increase in Chinese military activities. The developments have added to regional concerns over maritime security, freedom of navigation and the potential implications of China's expanding military and coast guard presence around Taiwan, according to the Taipei Times report. (ANI)