G-7 Concerned about China's Drills around Taiwan

Tokyo, Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)--The Group of Seven major powers have expressed concern about China's recent massive military drills around Taiwan in their first defense ministers' meeting, held in Naples, Italy.

In a statement issued after the meeting Saturday, the G-7 ministers said, "We are concerned about provocative actions," referring to the Chinese drills around Taiwan, conducted Monday.

"We reaffirm that maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is indispensable to international security and prosperity," the statement said.

After expressing their "serious concern" about the situation in the East and South China seas, the ministers also said they are "strongly opposed to China's repeated obstruction of freedom of navigation, militarization of disputed features and coercive and intimidating activities."

The officials of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States plus the European Union confirmed their intention to expand G-7 participation in regional exercises and deepen operational cooperation to stabilize the Indo-Pacific region.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]