Daily US Times: Group of Seven (G7) nations’ foreign ministers have called for greater engagement with Taiwan, and warned China not to escalate cross-strait tensions following a spike in military maneuvers around the self-ruled island.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, representatives from the G7, which includes Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany and Italy underscored “the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” and encouraged the “peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.”

The statement added: “We reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that could escalate tensions and undermine regional stability and the international rules-based order and express serious concerns about reports of militarization, coercion, and intimidation in the region.”

The G7 foreign ministers also said their governments supported Taiwan’s “meaningful participation” in World Health Organization (WHO) forums and the World Health Assembly, a longstanding goal of Tiwan’s.

China has blocked Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, despite the island’s effective response to Covid-19 pandemic.

Tensions between China and Taiwan have been growing in recent months, as Beijing has stepped up naval and air drills around the democratic island, which the Communist Party regards as part of its territory and has vowed to “reunify” with mainland China, by force if necessary.

Taiwan was not the only issue on which the G7 had a tough message for Beijing.

The G7 foreign ministers’ statement also called out abuses and human rights violations in Xinjiang and in Tibet and the eroding of “democratic elements of the electoral system in Hong Kong.”

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