G7 May Address South China Sea Dispute
By Aiswarya Lakshmi
June 8, 2015
AFP reports that the G7 summit would express concern about unilateral efforts to assert sovereignty claims in the disputed South China Sea.
John Kirton, director of think-tank the G7 Research Group, has said maritime disputes between China and its neighbours would be on the agenda of the summit in Germany.
Japan's Yomiuri newspaper also said Saturday the summit would take up the issue. Citing sources, the paper said a closing statement would express concern about unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
In descriptions about the waters involved, while avoiding naming China, the statement is expected to express opposition to moves to unilaterally change the status quo.
Meanwhile, bluntly rejected an offer by China to “share” the facilities it is building in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) as it welcomed reports that the G7 summit is poised to issue a statement expressing concern about unilateral efforts to assert sovereignty claims in the disputed sea.
Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said any bilateral talks between the two countries would not be easy in light of the Philippines’ staunch position in favor of a more binding Code of Conduct among various claimants.
In recent months, China’s flurry of reclamation work and building of military installations on several of the islets and reefs in the disputed portions of the South China Sea have set alarm bells ringing about China’s aggressive design to claim almost the entirety of the area as part of its national territory.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently said he would raise the issue of China's construction work in the South China Sea at the G7 summit in Bavaria, Germany, on June-7-8.
Before that, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter had said China's reclamation work in the South China Sea was "out of step" and required "an immediate end", and threatened to send more U.S. ships and aircraft to patrol the areas nearby, to which, Beijing responded saying Washington should adopt a responsible attitude and play a constructive role in the region.
