G7 calls for peace in Taiwan-strait, backs international participation

Leaders of the G7 nations reiterated the importance of stability and peace in the Taiwan Strait in a joint statement issued on Tuesday, while expressing support for Taiwan’s participation in international organisations, Taipei Times reported.

“We reaffirm that maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is indispensable to international security and prosperity. We support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organisations, including in the World Health Assembly and WHO technical meetings, as a member where statehood is not a prerequisite and as an observer or guest where it is,” the leaders said in an end-of-summit statement in Italy.

“There is no change in the basic positions of the G7 members on Taiwan, including stated one China policies,” the statement said, while calling for “a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.”

The Group of Seven (G7) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 24. Following the event, the chair of the meeting issued a statement reaffirming that maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

During a high-level UN General Assembly meeting, the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US, and the EU welcomed Taiwan’s inclusion in global organisations “where statehood is not a prerequisite and as an observer or guest where it is.”

Further, the leaders expressed concern over developments in the East and South China Seas and opposed unilateral changes to the status quo. They rejected China’s militarisation and intimidation in the South China Sea and said there is no legal basis for China’s claims in the region, Taiwan News reported.

The joint statement stressed the importance of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and highlighted its role as a legal framework for international maritime activities.

In response, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) thanked the G7 for its unwavering support for the country’s international participation and peace in the Taiwan Strait.

“MOFA welcomes this statement and appreciates that the G7 continues to publicly express the importance that it attaches to cross-strait peace and stability as well as its support for Taiwan at international events,” according to MOFA official statement.

“Taiwan will continue to work with G7 members and other like-minded countries to safeguard the rules-based international order; uphold the common values of democracy, freedom, the rule of law, and human rights; and jointly preserve peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and across the globe,” the statement added.

Since the UN General Assembly began, multiple diplomatic allies have spoken up for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN system.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is composed of 15 member states, including five permanent members with veto power and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.

The five permanent members of the UNSC include China, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States. The non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council are elected for 2-year terms by the UNGA.