High time for G7 to reassess its misleading approach

The recent joint statement of the G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting and their declaration not only distorts facts and disregards China's solemn position but also grossly interferes in China's internal affairs. From the Taiwan question to the South China Sea and the East China Sea issues, and even the industrial capacity, the G7 has chosen to blatantly tarnish China's image. The statements are filled with arrogance and prejudice, with a malicious intent to suppress and attack China.

Bloc politics and exclusionary alliances are not the solutions to global peace or stability. Attempts to suppress and attack China cannot resolve internal divisions within the G7 itself.

The Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China, which brooks no external interference. Yet the G7's latest statement deliberately omits any mention of the one-China principle while advocating for Taiwan's so-called "international participation." This exposes its professed commitment to "peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait" as little more than a diplomatic facade.

Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the one-China principle, concerning China's core interests, is what underpins peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender have all explicitly affirmed China's sovereignty over Taiwan.

The adoption of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution 2758 in 1971 with an overwhelming majority further cemented this understanding by restoring all the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the UN while expelling representatives of Taiwan authorities from the organization and all its affiliated agencies.

The resolution resolved once and for all the question of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, in the UN, and confirmed the global consensus on the one-China principle. Over 180 countries and international organizations have openly reiterated their commitment to the one-China principle so far.

Taiwan's participation in international organizations must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle. Any attempt to distort or hollow out this established understanding is doomed to fail.

Meanwhile, the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea is generally stable. The South China Sea is one of the safest and freest maritime routes in the world, where freedom of navigation and overflight has never been an issue.

The G7's so-called "deep concerns" over the situation in these waters and its repeated claims of "coercion" and "freedom of navigation and overflight" are worn-out cliches designed to advance self-serving geopolitical interests at the expense of the welfare of the people in the Asia-Pacific.

The Asia-Pacific is a region of peace and development, not an arena for geopolitical rivalry. The G7 should earnestly respect regional countries' efforts for peace and stability, abandon the Cold War mentality, stop creating bloc confrontation and stop fueling tensions in the region.

Regarding the Ukraine crisis, China's position has been consistent - political settlement through dialogue and negotiation. The G7's allegations that China is "a decisive enabler" of the crisis are completely unfounded. China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to the crisis. It has never provided lethal weapons to any party of the conflict and exercised strict export control over dual-use articles.

China's responsible approach and active mediation efforts have been widely recognized and supported by the international community. This fully demonstrates that China's position is objective, fair, and consistent with the aspirations of most countries. By fueling the flames of conflict and falsely smearing China, the G7 reveals itself as the real instigator of instability and an opponent of peace in the region.

China remains committed to the path of peaceful development and pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. China's defense spending is necessary for safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests, which is open, transparent, reasonable and appropriate.

As a nuclear-armed country, China has shown maximum transparency regarding its nuclear policy and strategic intentions. The country always maintains its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security and adheres to the no-first-use nuclear policy. It does not engage in nuclear arms races with any other country, does not provide nuclear umbrella to other countries, and does not deploy nuclear weapons in other countries. Its nuclear policy aims to uphold strategic security and contribute to world peace and stability.

By contrast, the G7 has abandoned fundamental principles of maintaining global strategic stability and undermined the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime. Yet, it turns around and falsely accuses China's nuclear policy, further exacerbating confrontation and conflicts, and hindering the progress of international nuclear disarmament.

The G7 once claimed that it does not seek to "decouple" or turn inward and acknowledged China's importance in global trade, yet it fabricated accusations of "overcapacity" and "market distortions." In reality, these claims are nothing more than excuses to politicize and weaponize economic and trade ties. The so-called "overcapacity" narrative has been proved to be a false proposition.

China actively promotes a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, upholds the multilateral trading system, and continues to open its markets, sharing the opportunities of Chinese modernization with the world.

The G7 has been advocating "decoupling and severing supply chains," hyping up "de-risking," and building "small yard with high fences" to fuel protectionism and unilateralism. It is the G7, not China, that is undermining the international economic order, destabilizing global markets, and threatening the stability of global industrial and supply chains. Suppressing other countries' development will not solve its own problems. It is high time for the G7 to reassess its misleading approach.

The problems facing the world are intricate and complex, and cooperation for mutual benefit is the right path forward. The G7's relentless efforts to vilify China are only a misallocation of resources. It should discard the Cold War mentality and ideological biases, stop stoking division and confrontation, and follow the trend of history and the world. Instead of sowing discord, it should do more things that are conducive to international solidarity and cooperation.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)