G7 foreign ministers oppose provocation in East and South China Seas
Date
4/13/2016 12:00:29 AM
(MENAFN- The Peninsula) US Secretary of State John Kerry chats with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond following a silent prayer at the cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima Hiroshima Prefecture western Japan 11 April 2016. EPA/KAZUHIRO NOGI/POOL
HIROSHIMA: Foreign ministers from theGroup of Seven (G7) advanced economies said they strongly opposeprovocation in the East and South China Seas where China islocked in territorial disputes with nations including thePhilippines Vietnam and Japan.
"We express our strong opposition to any intimidatingcoercive or provocative unilateral actions that could alter thestatus quo and increase tensions" the foreign ministers said ina statement on Monday following a meeting in Hiroshima Japan.
In an apparent reference to China's territorial spat withthe Philippines the group also called on countries to observeinternational maritime laws and implement any binding judgmentsdelivered by courts and tribunals.
Manila has asked the International Court of Arbitration inthe Hague to decide on its dispute with Beijing. A ruling isexpected by June.
China is building islands on reefs in the South China Sea tobolster its claims. Brunei Malaysia the Philippines Taiwanand Vietnam also have claims on the waters that are believed tohave huge deposits of oil and gas and through which about $5trillion in trade is shipped every year.
Reuters