Abe working to forge united front on South China Sea at G-7 talks
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will try and convince Group of Seven leaders at the summit in Mie Prefecture later this month to form a united front in countering China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea, sources have said.
“The point is whether the G-7 can reach a consensus (on the issue) and how many members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will follow in the G-7’s footsteps,” a Japanese government official said Saturday.
In a statement on maritime security issued after a meeting in the city of Hiroshima last month, G-7 foreign ministers called on “all states to pursue the peaceful management and settlement of maritime disputes … in accordance with international law” and to “fully implement any decisions rendered by relevant courts and tribunals.”
The Japanese government believes that a ruling likely to come in the next few weeks from the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague is likely to reject the legitimacy of Beijing’s claims to most of the South China Sea, sources said.
The arbitration case pits the Philippines versus China in its dispute over the waters.
At the G-7 summit scheduled for May 26 to 27 in Mie Prefecture, Abe hopes to reaffirm with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the United States the importance of complying with court decisions based on international law, the sources said.
“The essence of the statement of G-7 foreign ministers will also be reflected in an upcoming G-7 summit declaration,” a Japanese government official said.
Still, it remains to be seen if Abe will be able to shepherd the group to form a consensus.
Unlike Japan and the United States, European countries have focused less on the South China Sea issue and more on maintaining favorable economic relationships with Beijing.
At a joint news conference after a meeting with Abe in Berlin earlier this month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country is working closely with China, adding that her government is holding talks with China on human rights and cultural issues.
Abe also hopes to win support from the leaders of other Asian nations — including South China Sea claimants — who will take part in a G-7 outreach session, the sources said.
G-7 leaders are also expected introduce a plan to work toward reducing poverty and boosting educational assistance to prevent people from turning to violent extremism in the global fight against terrorism, Japanese government sources said.
The leaders will adopt the action plan centering on measures to eradicate social conditions that lead to extremism at the May 26 to 27 summit.
While a series of terrorist attacks by Islamic State militants have prompted a military response from Western nations, the action plan will focus instead on means to improve the standard of living and support Islamic moderates, they said.
The action plan will also urge countries around the world to steadily implement U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s January recommendations for emphasizing the importance of educational programs and tolerance between communities, the sources said.
The G-7 leaders will call for continued efforts to cut off financial resources of terrorism as sought by the U.N. Security Council.
In addition to antiterrorism measures, the leaders will pledge to cooperate in protecting culturally important artifacts and sites from destruction by extremists and in preventing funding for terrorism through illicit trafficking in such treasures, the sources said.
(Source : japantimes.co.jp)
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