President Joe Biden of the United States attempted to reassure China that confrontation with the West is avoidable as he concluded a three-day meeting with allies of the Group of Seven major democracies, despite the G7’s increased pressure to retaliate against Beijing’s growing military and economic security concerns.
At the summit’s conclusion on Sunday in Hiroshima, Japan, Biden said, “I don’t think there’s anything inevitable about the notion that there’s going to be this conflict” between the West and Beijing.
However, Biden emphasized that the G7 and other regional allies are working together to counteract Beijing’s aggressiveness, including any possible invasion of Taiwan. I believe the Pacific is more unified than it has ever been, he added.
Biden added, “We all agree we’re going to maintain the One China policy,” alluding to the approach wherein the US recognises Beijing as speaking for China and accepts Beijing’s claim to Taiwanese sovereignty without backing it. Washington views Taiwan’s position as unresolved under the policy. According to the current situation in Taiwan, neither China nor Taiwan “can independently declare what they’re going to do, period,” as Biden put it. “A new outcome must be agreed upon by all parties.”
Biden cautioned China against attacking the sovereign island, which Beijing views as a renegade province, despite the fact that Western allies “don’t expect Taiwan to independently declare independence.”
The majority of our partners “clearly understand that there would be a response if China were to act unilaterally,” he said. “A response would come,” As the G7 nations stepped up their criticism of China’s growing military and economic security concerns, Biden’s remarks were made.
The group lambasted China for using “economic coercion,” militarizing the South China Sea, and engaging in “interference activities” meant to undermine diplomatic safety, the credibility of democratic institutions, and economic success in the communiqué from the meeting.
Beijing quickly retaliated, accusing the G7 of “blatantly interfering in China’s internal affairs” and exploiting “issues concerning China to smear and attack China.”
Taiwan is China’s Taiwan, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry. “The Taiwan question is a Chinese issue, and it is a Chinese issue that must be resolved.”
Allied for Ukraine
Biden said that the G7 will continue to support Ukraine in unison. We won’t back down, he said. Putin, the president of Russia, “won’t break our resolve as he thought he would,” Biden said. The choices made at the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, “aim to contain both Russia and China.”
By informing the G7 leaders on Friday that he now supports joint alliance training programs for Ukrainian pilots of F-16 fighter planes, Biden gave a crucial credence to Kyiv’s efforts to increase its air strength to counter Russian aggression. For months, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden’s counterpart in Ukraine, had asked for the aircrafts. Part of the reason for Biden’s refusal was his worry that using such aggressive weapons would make the conflict worse.
“I have a flat assurance from the – from Zelenskyy that they will not, they will not use it to go on and move into Russian geographical territory,” he added.
Biden said that “there’s been very little discussion” about the problem at the G7 before leaving for Washington to handle discussions on increasing the U.S. debt limit to prevent the nation from sliding into default.
He said that “they all know what’s going on about whether or not we’re going to default on our debt,” and that he “can’t guarantee” that Republicans in Congress “wouldn’t force a default by doing something outrageous.”
The U.S. Treasury Department said it can only pay the U.S. government’s obligations until June 1 in the absence of a deal to raise the debt limit.
A U.S. default, according to the majority of experts, would be disastrous for world financial institutions.
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