A joint statement from the foreign ministers of the G7 countries in support of Taiwan has seen a strong reaction from China.
After a summit in London the foreign ministers of the group (made up of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, and Japan) said that China was ‘using coercive economic policies’ and that the G7 would work to stop. They also accused China of human rights abuses.
The group also supported Taiwan’s involvement in the World Health Organisation and expressed concerns about rising tensions around the island, which China considers a rogue province, rather than an independent country.
A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang Wenbin, said that the accusations were groundless and a ‘wanton destruction of the norms of international relations’. The G7 was also criticised for its alleged poor handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Taiwan the country’s presidential office thanked the G7 for its support.