China upset with G7 joint statement

China on April 12 expressed anger at the joint statement of the G7 foreign ministers opposing aggression and provocation in the East Sea and the East China Sea, which alluded to Beijing's actions.

China has recently continuously taken aggressive actions, escalating tensions in the East Sea - Illustration photo: Reuters

“We urge G7 members to honor their commitment (to) not take sides in maritime disputes,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to Reuters.

China's Foreign Ministry said the G7 - a group of the world's most advanced countries including the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada - should focus on cooperation and global economic management, fighting recession and slow growth rather than "hyping and inciting".

On April 11, the foreign ministers of G7 member countries, after a meeting in Hiroshima (Japan), issued a joint statement "opposing any use of force, threats or unilateral provocations that could change the status quo and increase tensions in the East Sea and the East China Sea."

The joint statement did not directly mention China, but China has been repeatedly condemned for its illegal actions of building artificial islands and militarizing the East Sea.

China’s Foreign Ministry said that “there is no problem with freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea and the East China Sea,” and pledged to resolve disputes through direct dialogue but strongly opposed going to court. China previously boycotted the hearing of the Philippines’ case before the International Court of Arbitration, protesting Beijing’s unreasonable sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.

According to Thanh Nien